Becoming Wolf
by LadyWolf279
Summary: A chance encounter at Nicks club in NY leaves Emily with a new fling. What happens when she meets Reese? Will he be able to save her from the dangers of his world, or will his past finally catch up to him? Disclaimer: I do not own any rights or characters from the Women of the Otherworld series, only my OC's featured in this story.
1. Chapter 1

6 months ago.

(Emily's POV)

"Seriously, why can't we just go do something else?" I asked from in front of the mirror in my small apartment in New York. My friends had decided that tonight we would go clubbing at one of the best spots in the city. Which was fun for them, me not so much seeing as I was only 20. Which made me the perfect DD for the evening.

"Because we've studied our asses off all semester and I'm ready to have a night of letting loose! Come on it'll be so much fun Em." Said my best friend Lauren.

I sighed. She was right, it had been a very long and draining last couple of months. Between trying to go to school and keep up my grades in order to graduate on time and the trauma from the car accident that killed my parents 4 months ago, I could definitely use a break. "Okay, you're right. It might be a little fun" I smiled at her reflection in my mirror. After putting the finishing touches on my makeup and slipping on the dress that Lauren insisted I wear for the evening we set off to the first spot.

...

If looks could kill, I think I would be laying on the under the ground in front of the club right now. The bouncers started eyeballing me before we ever made it to them. I of course had to show my ID, and got the x of shame across my hand before I was allowed inside. I'm sure my size doesn't help me look any older than I do, I could easily pass for 17 or 18 rather than a few months away from being 21.

We walked inside and the club was already packed out for the night. Bodies were bobbing and swaying on the dance floor, while speakers blasted music so loud you couldn't think. There were three bars along the sides of the room, all crammed full of college students looking to let loose and get plastered for the night.

We had been there for around an hour and by that time all of my friends had consumed their weight in shots. Lauren being the diligent friend that she was, started slipping a few my way once she was too drunk to care that I had driven her car here. "Emily! Drink! Come onnnnn, we'll just take a cab home!" She pleaded with me between her drunken squeals of excitement. I couldn't help but get caught up in the atmosphere of the club as I slung back one, two, six shots.

In no time at all we were lost in the sea of bodies throbbing to the beat on the dance floor. Grinding and swaying our hips to the beat, feeling free for just a moment. Allowing myself the release from my problems for just a little while.

I stumbled into a seat after a while to catch my breath. Lauren had found her way to the other side of the club with her newest endeavor for the night, disappearing into a shadowy corner to do god knows what. My other friends who had met us here had all gone their separate ways, which left me to myself.

I was feeling pretty fuzzy from the shots Lauren had shoved down my throat all night and decided that it might be a good idea to grab something non-alcoholic to quench my thirst. I made my way over to the bar, an increasingly difficult challenge in the sky high heels Lauren had shoved at me before we left my apartment. I ordered a soda and sat down waiting for it. I felt a hand slide far too high up my thigh and looked over to see a very large, very drunk man grinning at me. "Well hello beautiful thing, where have you been all my life? Whatcha say we get out of here and I'll show you a real good time tonight?" He slurred, inches from my face.

"Sorry buddy, hard pass." I shot back at him as I picked his hand up and moved it off of my leg. He muttered something about me being a bitch under his breath before he turned away from me to try on the next poor girl he could find. I turned back toward the bar to find my drink sitting behind me. As I grabbed the glass I felt a large warm hand shoot out and grab my wrist. I jumped, almost spilling the cold liquid all over myself as I turned around. My eyes locked onto piercing blue eyes, blonde wavy hair, and a thick mass of tanned muscles rippling out from under a t-shirt. Wow.

"I'm sorry if I scared you" I heard him say as I silently studied him. "The man that was sitting with you, he slipped something into your drink as he walked away" he said with a thick Australian accent. "I couldn't help but notice you when you arrived with your friends earlier, I saw all of them leave about 15 minutes ago and I wasn't about to let you drink this" he said holding up my drink.

I tried to be casual when I looked around to see if the man was watching me. For just a moment I didn't see him, until a large group dispersed from the bar and I saw him watching me. My stomach dropped as my fight or flight kicked in, my senses telling me that he was danger and I needed to figure out how to get out of here and back home. He obviously doesn't have good intentions toward me if he was trying to drug me in a club. I could feel my nerves kicking into overdrive when the gorgeous Aussie interrupted my thoughts.

"My name is Reese by the way".

(Reese POV)

I hadn't really wanted to come out with the guys tonight, but Antonio and Jeremy had important business to discuss and I could tell they wanted to be alone. So I grudgingly agreed to head over to Nicks club in the city for some Friday night fun.

I was sitting at a table in the VIP balcony with Nick and Noah when I saw her. She was wearing a silky emerald green dress that clung to her delicate curves, her hair fell down her back in cascading waves of light brown curls. She was such a tiny little thing compared to the others she was with. She couldn't be more than 5'3, maybe 125 lbs soaking wet.

As much as I tried not to, I kept finding myself looking for her in the crowd. I saw her dancing with her friend for a while, getting lost in the music and atmosphere of the club. She looked so free when she danced, like she didn't have a care in the world. After a few hours I noticed her friends all stumbling out the doors, obviously wasted and forgetting to take the tiny brunette with them. I scanned the crowd again and saw her sitting at the bar waiting on a drink, while a drunk asshole tried shoving his hand up her thigh. Just from the look on her face, I knew she didn't want the attention the man was trying to give her.

Without saying a word to the guys I got up and made my way through the crowd to her as I saw her telling him in the nicest way possible to fuck off. I could feel Nick and Noah starting at me from the balcony, assessing if I had sensed some kind of danger or if I just decided not to wait on the waitress to bring us our next round of drinks.

Just before I got to her I saw the man turn from her and call her a stupid bitch, then quickly drop something inside her drink before walking a distance away to watch her from the crowd. As she turned to lift the drink to her lips I couldn't stop my hand from shooting out to take her wrist. As my fingers locked around her I could feel her tiny bones in my hand. So small and delicate. I felt her tense in my hand as she almost spilled her drink.

As she looked up I met her eyes. Pools of glassy sea green shot up to meet me. Shock was written all over her face and I could smell her tension coming off of her in waves. She studied me for a moment as I released her hand and started explaining to her what I'd seen. I introduced myself as she tried to nonchalantly peer around for the asshole who had tried to drug her.

I felt her body tense as she spied him in the corner of the room looking none too happy that his plans had been interrupted.

She was quiet for a moment before looking over at me again. She smiled and held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Emily" she said nervously. "Thank you for telling me, I -I had no idea that he did that" she stuttered. Her tension turned into fear as I could see her trying to turn the wheels in her head on how to get out of here and home safely. I peered up onto the balcony as I heard Nick yell something along the lines of 'about time' probably assuming that I'd finally decided to break my celibacy streak. I rolled my eyes as I pulled out my phone and sent him a quick message not to wait on me that I'd catch a cab home later.

I turned to Emily as she started to get up from her barstool. She stumbled a bit before I steadied her in my arms. I smiled to myself, taking in the tiny girl in front of me who seemed to have had a bit too much to drink despite the x on her hand showing that she wasn't 21 yet. "Would it be alright if I walk you home? Just to make sure you make it okay. No funny business I give you my word" I said to her.

She studied me for a moment before she shook her head yes and I hooked her arm in mine as we made our way through the crowd to the exit.

(Emily POV)

I can't believe that man tried to drug me. I thought as we made our way out the doors of the club. The warm and humid fall day had given away to a crisp night. I drank in the fresh air and welcomed the breeze on my flushed cheeks. It was only a few blocks to my apartment, so I was sure I could make it back before my feet gave out in these monstrous heels Lauren had put me in earlier.

When I see Lauren I'm going to give her a piece of my mind for leaving me there. I made a mental note as a breeze whipped down the street and made me shiver. Reese looked down at me and smiled, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it around my shoulders. It was so warm and smelled Oh so good. True to his word he had been a perfect gentleman, stopping just short of my apartment door as we arrived. We had made small talk the whole walk home, which eased my mind away from thinking about what could be happening to me if he hadn't intervened.

I'm not sure if it was the alcohol or just Reese, but something about him just made me feel safe. I invited him in to warm up for a bit. He looked a bit nervous on if he should come inside or not. "Come on Reese, I promise I won't bite" I laughed as I nudged him through the doorstep.

I grabbed a bottle of wine for me and a few beers for Reese and sat them on the balcony outside before I rushed back in to change. This scrap of fabric Lauren called a dress had to go. "Never again will Lauren dress me." I muttered as I threw on some jeans and a long sleeve shirt. I walked back outside to find Reese waiting on me, looking at my view over the city.

We spent the rest of the night and most of the early morning laughing, talking and sharing stories of our lives while buzzing on the drinks we'd brought out with us . I told him about my parents, my school work and my dream to become a doctor someday. He shared with me the story of his parents, how they'd been killed by a gang in Australia and he had fled to the states shortly after. How he worked for the Sorrentino family at their company, and his struggles adapting to life in the states. Something about him was just comfortable as we shared stories that I didn't usually tell anyone, much less a total stranger.

As the night turned into morning he decided to head back home. He helped me clean up our mess and I handed him his jacket. "Hey" I said before he walked out the door. "Thank you for helping me tonight. And for keeping your word and being a gentleman." I smiled at him as he tried to brush off my thanks as no big deal. As he went to walk out the door I grabbed his hand. He turned around and I leaned up onto my tiptoes and kissed him.

It felt like electricity jolted through me when our lips met. It was a slow, sweet kiss, but something about the feeling of his skin on mine set a burning sensation through my stomach. I pulled away and blushed, I couldn't believe I had just done that. I looked up at Reese to see him looking a bit shocked himself. Great now you've scared him off Emily.

He surprised me by stepping toward me and wrapping his hands around my waist. He leaned down and kissed me back just a softly as I had him. Bringing the lightning bolts and butterflies back in waves over my body.

"I really wish I didn't have to go" he said after we broke away from our electrifying kiss. "I have to get home and get ready for work. But would you maybe want to grab some lunch later?" He asked as he ran his hand through his golden hair nervously. "I'd love to" I smiled at him as he breathed out a sigh of relief.

And so began the start of our sweet, short lived romance. We would see each other a few times a week, stealing kisses and a few soft caresses here and there. He never pressured me to go any further than that, though I suspect it had more to do with his ex than me. He'd told me bits of her story, but I could tell it was a really uncomfortable subject, so I never pushed him. I was okay with that. For once in my life I wasn't rushing anything, I didn't feel like I needed to. He would bring me coffee on exam days and I stopped by his office to take him some lunch on a few of his meeting days. We would go for walks in the park, hikes in the forest and sit up laughing and snuggled up together all night. So it went blissfully for about a month before my entire world turned upside down.


	2. Chapter 2

(Emily POV) Present day:

Pain. Searing red hot pain. Lava coursing through my veins. Then darkness.

Over and over again.

I have no idea how long I've been like this. It feels like a lifetime, though I'm sure it's only been a few weeks. Between the pain in my body, and my almost daily 'visitors' I don't know how much longer I can survive. The moment the pain subsides I'm pulled right back under by a new wave of pain. I'll pass out only to wake up to hot hands grabbing my aching skin. Someone is in between my legs. It hurts so much but I can't even muster up the strength to scream for help. My voice is gone and my throat is raw from screaming so much.

I must be going insane. On four separate occasions I've looked down and instead of hands, I have brown paws the color of my hair. I can smell everything. Hear everything. This is what it must feel like to lose your mind. A new wave of pain pulls me back into the dark abyss of nothing. At this point, I would welcome death over this torture. I slip away, allowing the pain to slip me back into unconsciousness giving in to wherever it's willing to take me.

When I wake again I'm alone. I'm completely naked, and there's blood on the floor. Some from my head, some my hands, and some from my visitor who made sure to "show me what a real man feels like" a few hours ago. There's a t-shirt laying on the floor. I sit up and pull it over my body, wincing at the pain in my right arm, and the throbbing between my legs. It barely covers the bottom of my butt, but at this point I don't really care. We've had enough. It's time to fight back. I've been feeling this inner voice for over a week now, pulling me to move and defend myself. Calming me and preparing me for the escape. I've been taking mental notes of every detail of my captors, and the place they've brought me to.

Tonight. We will be free. I growled in agreement with this strong voice that was pulling me toward freedom. Bringing me a sense of strength I needed to hold onto if I planned on making it out of this hell hole alive.

(Reese POV)

My wolf wouldn't stop growling at me to drive faster. I'd been searching for Emily for over four months. I knew something was wrong when I didn't hear from her for a few days, so I'd gone to check on her at her apartment. I smelled the mutt before I ever made it to her door. Causing my insides to twist and squirm. Her apartment had been ransacked, the smell of mutt clear on almost every surface. Small droplets of her blood splattered the floor beside a broken lamp. Whoever was here didn't take her without a fight.

Nick enlisted the help of his witch friend Paige and with her help; Nick, Noah, and I were headed to a small patch of woods along the Canadian border. It isn't a solid lead. There's no guarantee Emily will even be there, but my wolf refused to let me rest until I found her. I knew she was in danger, somehow I just knew.

When we got to the edge of the woods and parked the car we decided to split up to cover more ground. I'd taken a few pieces of her clothing from her apartment in New York to help us better track her smell. Elena was busy caring for the twins, but promised us as soon as the week was over she would join us in our search. As we set out, I prayed that this would finally be the day that I found her. I would never let harm come to her again. I knew this was my fault. The mutts must have traced my scent back to her apartment.

So we split up taking sections of the woods. Deeper and deeper into the forest, no sign or smells alerting us that she had been here anytime recently. As I came to the edge of a clearing I heard Nick behind me. I turned to ask him if he had caught anything when we heard fast and heavy footsteps running full speed toward the other side of the clearing. Noah came to the edge of the clearing behind us and ran to stand beside us now as we listened to whatever was making the crashing sounds get closer and closer. Tense and ready for a fight.

(Emily POV)

I don't know how I did that. I'd just broken a mans leg with a swift kick. He had come in to pay me a visit and the voice inside my head told me to let her take over. So that's exactly what I did. I watched him come into the room and sneer down at me. I guess after weeks of not having enough strength to fight back he wasn't expecting much from me tonight. I waited, tense and ready to spring until the perfect moment. He was tugging up his pants when I jabbed into his manhood with all of my might, and swiftly clawing at his face. It sent him cradling himself down into the floor. This was it. Now or never. I mustered up all of my strength and bore down onto his leg with everything I had. I heard a sickening and satisfying snap and his scream of pain.

I pulled the barely covering t-shirt over my body and ran as fast as I could. I scrambled outside and found that I had been taken to a forest. It was cold outside and there were little heaps of snow on the ground. I stepped off the front porch and froze when I snapped a twig. I needed to be careful incase anyone else was here with the man whose leg I'd just broken. I turned to start running behind the house when the voice inside my head growled. Urging me to go the other way.

She had gotten me out of that house and as far as I was concerned it was more than enough reason to trust her, so I turned back and took off as fast as my legs could carry me. I could feel the twigs and branches cutting deep into my feet, but I didn't care. I couldn't stop. Those men wouldn't take me back alive. I ran past a group of thorns that raked across my face and arms, but I couldn't stop running to acknowledge the pain. I could feel the mans release running down the inside of my legs from his visit before I snapped his leg. I wouldn't let him touch me like that ever again. Keep going damn it. Just keep going. My legs were trembling from exhaustion, I'd lost too much weight and no matter how fit I was before all of this happened, I was weak now. Too weak to fight, so I needed to run.

I could see a small clearing up ahead as my vision became a little blurry. Maybe that was a road. If I could find a road it would lead me to somewhere. Anywhere was safer than here. I sped up at the hope that safety was on the other side of the clearing, not caring what I was running over or into. When I came thrashing out from behind a tree and my feet hit softer grass I skidded to a halt.

There he was, standing with two other men I didn't know. They looked like they were ready for a fight. I wondered if I was still hallucinating like I had about the paws, but I dared to say it anyway.

"Reese" I tried to say, but it came out barely above a whisper. Tears started to silently fall down my face as I felt my legs start to give out. My heart was leaping out of my chest. He found me.

(Reese POV)

We heard the crashing coming closer and closer as we prepared ourselves for what was heading straight to us. It seemed to speed up just before entering the clearing.

One final loud crash and I saw movement by a tree. Emily. She was here. If she was tiny before it had nothing on how small she was now. She looked sick from weight loss and sleep deprivation. Her cheeks were gaunt and her bones were sticking out of every place I could see. Bruises scattered every inch of her body that was visible, which was quite a bit seeing how she was only wearing a small shirt. She was bleeding from her arm and she had scratches all over the side of her face. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at me with those big almond shaped green eyes. Fear rolling from her, evident all over her face. Then she whispered my name "Reese" she said. It was barely above a whisper, but we all heard it. I saw her knees start to tremble. Nick and Noah stood glued to their spots on the far side of the clearing in shock as I ran to scoop her up in my arms.

She grabbed onto my shirt and started to cry. Trying to form words but nothing would come out. She was hurt, but she would be okay. She was hysteric trying to tell me that we needed to leave, someone would be looking for her, we weren't safe, that she didn't want them to hurt me. I started to turn toward the car with her but stopped dead in my tracks when I smelled it.

I knew what they did to her. I could smell it all over her. My wolf roared, threatening a change on the spot. Nick and Noah were at my side in an instant. From the looks on their faces, I knew they smelled it too. They will pay for hurting her. We will kill them all. My wolf raged. I kissed the top of Emily's head and passed her to Noah, telling him to get her to the car. It came out as an order and his wolf immediately submitted to the request as he turned around and started running toward the spot we had parked on the other side of the woods.

"Reese, I'm coming with you" Nick said through gritted teeth. As much of a ladies man Nick is, rape was something he never condoned. Sex was by choice or none at all. It's engrained into us. I shook my head as we started to follow the scent that Emily had left on her way through the woods. I could smell her adrenaline, her fear, her pain. It pushed me forward until I was standing in front of a house in the middle of nowhere.

Nick and I entered the house, there had been at least two mutts here with her in the last few days. Neither scent was very familiar to me. I heard muffled whimpers as I pushed back the door to a bedroom. The smell of everything that happened in that room was almost too much. My wolf was on full view to the mutt laying cradling his leg in the corner.

His eyes widened in fear as he caught sight of Nick and I walking in. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. Cutting off almost all of his air supply. "Where's the other one?" Nick demanded. The mutt shook his head and laughed. A hoarse cackle that made my hair stand on end. I took his hand in mine and snapped his wrist in one swift jerk. He tried to scream out in pain, but it came out as muffled gurgles with my hand on his throat.

"Tell me.." he wheezed "did you find the little she wolf?" He grinned at our confusion before continuing "she's unstable you know. Thinks she's going crazy when she turns, we were going to tell her what she is, but watching her think she's crazy instead is just too good. Pretty little thing, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to fuck her up for breaking my leg. I've never bitten anyone and not eaten them, so my partner took the chance. He's very pleased with her. Has big plans to breed her into his pack" he spat the last words at me. Grinning like a Cheshire Cat when realization finally lit up my eyes. They'd bitten Emily. They'd turned her. It's why her smell was off, it wasn't the remaining scent of werewolf on her, it was her.

Nick was frozen in place when realization hit him too. He looked at me and we shared a small nod before I reached deep into the mutts chest and pulled out his heart. I threw it to the ground beside his body and walked outside. My head was spinning as I made my way back to the car. Nick walked along side me in silence, only stopping once we could see Noah and Emily inside the car to call his father and Jeremy to let them know the news.

I climbed into the backseat as Emily leaned into my arms. She was a little warmer now that Noah had started the heat in the car for her. I rubbed soothing circles into her back as she sobbed into my chest. She looked up at me with bright eyes as I pulled off my hoodie and she slipped it over her body. Shivering at the warmth and deeply inhaling my scent. The moment her eyes locked on mine it was like something shifted. I already felt a feeling of protectiveness and devotion to this beautiful girl, but now in this moment, it was absolute. She tried giving me a small smile, but it didn't meet her eyes. It was a silent drive back to Catskills aside from her occasional whimpers. Even now she was trying to be strong. Trying not to cry. My brave beauty.

We decided against telling her the werewolf part until we got home, new wolfs are unpredictable in their changes and the last thing she needed was the added stress of a change before we could get her somewhere safe.

Mate. She is our mate and we will protect her always. I agreed wholeheartedly with my wolf as I held Emily in my arms. Vowing silently to myself to never let her go again.


	3. Chapter 3

(Emily POV)

I stretched awake to find myself laying on a cloud. Soft and warm, I wanted nothing more than to curl up and stay put forever. But my bliss was short lived as soon as my memories came crashing back down on me. The house in the woods. The pain. The fear. I sat straight up to take in my surroundings, tears pouring from my face as I tried to will myself to calm down before the itching in my arms traveled up my body and caused a level of pain I can't even describe. I could barely see anything through my teary blurred vision, my breaths coming in short sporadic bursts. I began to panic trying to get the covers off myself when I heard the most incredible voice.

"Calm down love. Em, it's okay. You're safe I've got you" I felt warm strong arms wrap around me and his scent pulled my panic down into a whisper. Reese. He found me last night. He saved me.

I took a deep breath and turned to see my savior. He looked tired and worried. Like he hasn't slept much. Although I'm guessing after being kept as a prisoner for who knows how long I probably don't look like America's next top model either. As I shifted I realized my wounds had all been cleaned and bandaged. I was wearing a soft t-shirt that smelled like Reese. Before I could stop myself I was in his arms, grabbing onto him for dear life. He didn't seem to mind though, he held on to me so tight that it hurt a little, but in that moment I didn't care. He stroked my hair and kissed my forehead. "I thought I had lost you love. You have no idea how hard I've been looking trying to find you." He pulled my chin up to look deep into his eyes. Without even thinking I grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him. Trying to shove every emotion I had into that moment, with Reese, to thank him for saving me.

We heard a light knock on the door and Reese stood up and walked over. He seemed a bit nervous as he opened the door to reveal an man with almost black hair, and sharp blue grey eyes who introduced himself as Jeremy. He seemed kind, he explained to me all of the wounds he had found, and the medical care he had provided. For some reason I couldn't look him in the eyes. I tried, I mean my parents taught me to look someone in the eyes when you're talking to them, but I couldn't look at him for more than a minute before I needed to look down. He asked if I was hungry, to which my stomach replied a very loud, very embarrassing series of grumbles. "Yes sir" I answered him quietly. He smiled warmly at me as he patted my knee "Please call me Jeremy, Emily". He told Reese to help me dress and bring me down for dinner. Wait. Dinner? How long was I asleep for?

Reese was so patient with me as I tried my hardest to get out of bed. My head was swimming and I was so weak that I almost fell once I got both of my feet on the floor. He lightly pushed me back to sit as he kneeled down and helped me put on a pair of sweatpants. They looked new and they were my size, except that i wasn't the same size I was anymore. No I was much too skinny. I looked sick. He helped me remove his shirt and put on a sports bra. I was slightly embarrassed, he had never seen me even close to naked before, but his mind was focused on helping me. I stood up slowly and waited for another round of dizziness to pass. Noticing Reese watching me from only a few steps away incase I should need his help again. His eyes raked over my body and a look of sadness crossed his face before he quickly looked back up and smiled a warm smile for me. Geez I must really look like hell. He waited for me to slip some socks over my feet before scooping me up in his arms to carry me downstairs, making a small giggle escape my lips. It sounded foreign to me after spending weeks screaming in pain.

As we made our way down the stairs I couldn't help but notice we weren't just in a house, we were in some kind of luxury mansion. I looked around in awe as Reese gently sat my feet on the floor once we'd made it to the bottom of the stairs.

"So you might have forgotten to tell me you live in a palace Reese. If I would have known this is where you lived I would have suggested we hang out here more often" I teased. He took my hand in his and smiled his heart stopping smile. "Well lucky for you that you'll be staying here for a little while. I know this is all pretty overwhelming for you, but I promise I'm going to be here to help you through everything okay?" He reassured me as we made our way slowly toward a room filled with voices. Suddenly I was nervous. I stopped and hesitated before Reese gave me a small squeeze on my hand letting me know he was right here.

We walked into the room and found a large table filled with people. I've never seen so much food in one place in my life. The atmosphere was warm and friendly as we watched the people laughing and talking amongst each other. They look like such a happy family. My heart tightened as I pushed away the thought that my family was gone, I would never get the chance to have a family meal with them again.

The only other girl in the room aside from myself looked up and met my gaze. She was beautiful. With pale blue eyes and silvery blonde hair. She has an athletic build and a warm inviting smile. It only took the others a few seconds before they noticed us too. Reese pulled out a chair for me and plopped down beside me. Everyone had food on their plates already, but nobody was eating. It seemed they were waiting for Jeremy to say something as all eyes fell on him. He slowly took a bite of some steak on his plate, then looked up and nodded at everyone else before they also dug into their food. That's a bit strange. I was so caught up in watching the interaction around me that I failed to notice just how much food Reese had put on my plate. It was heaping. I gave him an incredulous look as he chucked at me. "Go on and eat, you might just surprise yourself" he said between bites of food. The table had gotten pretty quiet as everyone shoveled food into their mouths. The food tasted like heaven in my mouth. Looking back on it, I can't remember the last time I was given anything but a sandwich to eat. And even then I only got one every few days.

As I ate I could feel the burning sensation in my hands and feet again, but I tried to push it off. Ignore it and maybe it'll go away. I couldn't let them see me have a mental breakdown. This always happened before I thought I turned into a dog. As I began to lose myself to the panic of what they would think of me the feeling of pins and needles started to spread. Up my legs, up my arms. Every inch of pain bringing a fresh wave of panic, every wave of panic pushing the pain further into my body. My hands started to shake and I realized that I needed to get out of here. Without any warning I dropped my utensils and stood up, knocking my chair over behind me. Everyone froze to look at me. I could see concern on their faces as I tried to stumble to the door. Every move making my skin crawl. I need to be outside, I need to get these clothes off my body. I rushed to the back door by the kitchen and ran out into the grass. The first wave of excruciating pain took over my body as I felt my knees give out. I jerked my shirt off in seconds. I got up to head closer to the wood line when I heard everyone come running outside behind me. I didn't care, I needed to go before I hurt someone. I tried fighting the pain and it came back ten times worse. As I got my pants off I felt myself crumble to the ground. Tears streaming down my face as I felt my bones start to break. I could hear screams, we're those coming from me?

I looked up to see Jeremy and another man who I had yet to meet crouching down in front of me. He met my eyes and told me it was going to be okay. I jerked my head to see Reese standing a few feet in the other direction, shirt in his hands stepping out of his jeans. Before I could ask what he was doing a crippling wave swept my body as I threw myself onto my hands and knees, releasing a blood curdling scream. "Please don't come near me! I don't know what's happening to me and I don't want to hurt you. Please stay back. Please." I was pleading with Jeremy now as he started making his way over to me. A look of sadness drawn all over his face. He told me to let the pain take over and I tried. But my panic wouldn't let me go where the pain wanted. In the house in the woods I had barely been aware of what was happening, but here I felt everything. I was lucid and aware of the excruciating pain I was in. More screams. Pain. I don't know how long it went on before Jeremy sent everyone away. He sat with me, encouraging me to keep going. Always staying so calm and reassuring. Like he knew what was happening to me.

I could see his mouth moving, but I couldn't focus on the words as the pain coursed through me. I understood the word transition, wolf, and wait for us. With that he stood up and walked into the woods just down from where I was laying.

I tried to regroup and focus as more pain seized my body. I heard the sickening snap of more bones as I gave out one last scream, followed by a string of profanity. The next scream that came out of my mouth didn't sound like a scream at all. It was more like a growl or a whine. I laid on the ground as the pain finally started to subside. Panting heavily trying to calm my thumping heart. I looked down and there they were. The brown paws is seen in the woods before. I moved my right arm, then my left, the paws moved in accordance. I was thoroughly confused. I looked up to see a large sandy blonde wolf with beautiful blue eyes slowly walk out from behind a tree toward me. I was so frightened that I dropped to my back and put my belly into the air. I'm not sure why I did it, it just felt natural. The large wolf approached cautiously, stopping just short of me as I started to whine. He dropped his nose and began sniffing me, before he stopped and licked my face. I sniffed the wolf and was greeted with a scent I knew well, but how? Reese. The wolf was Reese. I peered down my body to see that I was a wolf too. Tail and all I realized as it began to thump along the ground slightly. Reese nuzzled me and nudged me onto my feet.

Just then another large wolf came into my view. This one was almost solid black with grey blue eyes. Just like with Reese I dropped to the ground and went belly up the moment I saw this new wolf. Reese didn't seem bothered by its presence, so I hoped it was safe. As the wolf came over to sniff me I moved slightly to bare my neck to him, unable to meet his eyes. The wolf did the same path as Reese before nudging me to get up and follow him deeper into the woods. Reese flanked me as we went deeper and deeper, somehow silently communicating the next moves we made. I heard underbrush crashing as something large barreled towards us. I yelped and ran to stand behind the two larger wolves as a silvery blonde wolf came into view. And so went the meetings, all like the one with Reese and Jeremy until I recognized everyone's scent from the room this morning. I sat on my haunches and watched the group of wolves play a game of tag. Suddenly I was it and my human thoughts disappeared as I let the voice in my head take over and show me what to do. And so I was introduced to my wolf, albeit she was much much smaller than all of the others. She felt safe and that was enough for me.


	4. Chapter 4

(Reese POV)

She had fallen asleep about 30 minutes before we'd gotten to Catskills that night. By the time we arrived back home Jeremy and Elena were there waiting on us while Clay was at home with the twins. He would be joining us in the next few days when Jamie arrived to watch the kids. As we pulled into the garage, Jeremy and Antonio walked out to help us get Emily inside. I picked up her still sleeping form and slowly made my way upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms. Once she was laying down I was able to really see the damage. She had large gashes on the bottoms of her feet, probably from running through the woods. There were bruises and cuts all along her arms and legs. She had big circles under her eyes and her cheeks were stained with tear lines.

I could feel my heart breaking looking at her. She looked so small and fragile and, _broken. _Elena came in to the room with a rag and a bowl of water. She helped me gently undress Emily and clean up all of her wounds. My wolf was panicking, unsure what to do to make her better. Once we'd gotten her all cleaned up I slipped my shirt over her head, she had been deeply inhaling my scent on the drive home, hopefully the smell would help her stay relaxed and get some much needed rest. Jeremy came in and began to sanitize her wounds and inspect her injuries. Though he never said anything, I could see the sadness in his eyes as he uncovered more and more damage that had been inflicted on her. He confirmed that she was indeed a werewolf now, which meant once she was on the mend he would take her back to Stonehaven for a few weeks to teach her all about pack law and start her training. He got up and left to go speak with Antonio about the best way to tell her. New wolves are very easily triggered at times and the last thing he wanted to do was push a change on her before she was mended enough to handle it.

She slept all through the night and most of the following day. I stayed by her side the whole time, guilt eating me alive. _If she had never met me, they would have never taken her. _Jeremy had made some calls to the pack as everyone scrambled to try to get more info on who had done this and why. I wondered if it had anything to do with the meeting Jeremy had with Antonio the night I met Emily. I didn't ask though, it wasn't my place. If my Alpha thinks I need to know, I trust him to tell me. I had just walked into the en-suite bathroom to wash up for dinner when I heard small flutters of movement coming from inside the room. Emily had shifted positions to stretch out a bit more in the bed. Peacefully wrapped inside the cocoon of blankets around her. I smiled as I turned back around to turn on the water. That's when I heard her heartbeat start to jump and she started thrashing in the bed. Trying, unsuccessfully, to get out of the mess of covers she was tangled in. I rushed over to her and wrapped my arms around her. "Calm down love. Em, it's okay. You're safe I've got you" I coaxed while tightening my grip on her. She was shaking like a leaf and I could smell her terror fade as she inhaled my scent and began to calm down.

As she turned around I noticed her taking note of the bandages on her body before meeting my eyes. She studied me for a moment with worry on her face, before flinging herself into my arms. She grabbed onto me for dear life as I folded myself around her. Breathing her scent in I was finally able to relax. Relief flooded through me just knowing that after months of searching for her, she was home with me and safe. She suddenly lifted her head and grabbed my face to give me an electrifying kiss. I knew she was trying to express how she felt the best way that she could think of. Not that I minded at all, she could kiss me like that every day for the rest of my life and I don't think I'd ever get tired of it.

We pulled apart at the sound of a light knock on the door. Jeremy must have heard her wake up. I worried that she might be uncomfortable that he had provided medical care for her instead of us going to the hospital. I knew she would have so many questions; I just wasn't sure how any of us would answer them. He stepped in quietly as I opened the door and introduced himself. I noticed that Emily kept submitting to him, even though I could see the confusion cross her face as she did. It was second nature for her to make eye contact when talking to someone, one of the things I appreciated when we would spend time together. She never minded making eye contact because everything she said was genuine. Once Jeremy had finished looking over her wounds, which had already healed quite a bit, he asked her if she would like some food. Her stomach roared at the mention and I smiled to myself. We will help her heal from this, starting with a nice hot meal. Jeremy left soon after to talk to everyone before I brought her down. I grabbed the clothes that Nick had gone out for this morning. She tried to get up but the moment her feet touched the floor I could see her losing her balance. So I gently nudged her back onto the bed and crouched down to help her with her pants. I don't even think she realized that Elena had stopped to get her underwear on the way, and put them on her after we cleaned her up last night. As she pulled off my shirt I could see that she was a bit embarrassed. Sure we had made out a few times, I'd ran my hands along the curves of her body, but we'd never gone as far as seeing the other naked. Once I'd helped her pull the bra over her she stood up to pull on her shirt. I made sure to stay close just incase she needed me. I glanced at her bruised body, clearly she had been through something terrible and I mentally cursed myself again for being the reason any of this was happening to her. I met her eyes and tried to smile. As soon as she was finished dressing I scooped her up to carry her down the stairs. Her eyes were dancing all over as we made our way to the kitchen. She was trying to make jokes about why I hadn't invited her here. I knew she was trying to lighten the mood for herself, she was overwhelmed and I could see it. I tried to reassure her as we walked in that I was right here. _I'll always be right here. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again. _I mentally promised her and myself as we made our way to the table.

She seemed to take the cues from everyone else well enough, I suspect Jeremy had given orders to leave all questions and comments for after dinner. I piled her plate high with food, earning an incredulous look from her before I coaxed her to begin eating. We needed to get some weight on her as soon as possible. The meal seemed to be going well, I could smell her tension but I just assumed it was because she had just gone through a living nightmare and had woken up in a house full of strangers.

Before any of us knew what was happening she had dropped her fork and jumped up from the table like it was on fire, knocking her chair to the floor with a deafening smack. She didn't say a word as she stumbled to the door leading to the back yard. I could sense her panic and pain and I immediately jumped up to follow her, Jeremy and Antonio on my heels. My heart sank when I made it to the door. She jerked in pain before her legs gave out on the grass as she started throwing her shirt to the ground. She got up and made it a few more steps before she had her pants off too, going further into the woods. At this point everyone was outside, unsure of what to do. She had no idea what was happening to her. Jeremy and Antonio ran to find her as she let out a blood curdling scream that stopped me in my tracks. She was changing. _She doesn't understand what's happening. She's afraid. Help her! _My wolf growled. I knew there was nothing I could do to stop the pain she was in. As I heard the pops of her bones breaking I started ripping off my clothes, keeping her in sight. I didn't care if anyone saw me in transition in that moment. All I knew is that her wolf would need mine and I would be there when she was finished waiting on her.

_45 minutes. _That's how long I had to listen to her screams of agony before her transition was complete. The pain was causing her to panic and she couldn't let go. I laid down on the ground and waited for the final push, my wolf whining with every scream of pain coming from our mate. Finally it was quiet. I slowly got up and walked around from my perch to see a little light brown wolf; she was studying herself as if she were in disbelief that it was her. She froze when she looked up and saw me. Fear flashing through her green eyes before she flopped onto the ground in a show of submission. I walked over to her and began to sniff her as our wolves became acquainted with one another. Her eyes lit up when she realized that it was me as I gave her a few licks to her muzzle. I nudged her to her feet just as Jeremy walked into view. She immediately flopped back onto the ground, baring her neck as Jeremy approached her. She was giving full submission to her Alpha. Jeremy seemed please with her submission as he urged her up and led her along into the woods so the others could join us. And so we played, we romped and wrestled and welcomed our little wolf into our pack. Curling up on all sides of her as we laid in a clearing a few hours later, our presence and heat lulling her into a peaceful sleep. It didn't take long for all of us to follow her as one by one we drifted off too.


	5. Chapter 5

(Emily POV)

I slowly woke up to the sound of an owl in a nearby tree. Shifting my hip slightly made me wince as a big stick jammed into my bare skin. _Wait. What the hell? Why am I in the woods, laying on a stick? _I began to wriggle around slowly when an arm snaked around my bare waist. _Why the actual fuck? Am I naked in the woods? _My heart began to beat frantically as I tried to recall what happened to get me here. Then it all came flooding back. _Dinner, the pain, screams, and I was a wolf. Reese was a wolf, I know it was him. It smelled just like him. _I forced my eyes wide open and shifted slightly to see who was behind me. My movement must have woken him up because the minute I turned my head I was met with beautiful dancing blue eyes. _Reese. And…. Oh my god. Why are we naked? _My eyes grew wide as I took in our precarious position. I laid on my left side while Reese was curled up along the back of my body, almost completely flush against me. I shifted a bit more to be able to sit up when something brushed against my back. My cheeks went flaming hot. _Did we? No. I would remember that. I think… _When I got upright I noticed that I wasn't the only one who was naked. Everyone from dinner was laying in various spots around us. Naked as the day they were born. I felt Reese shift and sit up beside me, taking in my shock as he lightly chuckled. He stood up and offered me a hand. I _tried _to keep my eyes on his face but in the process of standing up I couldn't help but sneak a peek. _Holy… wow. _I tried to cover myself as best as I could while Reese rummaged around in the woods nearby. He came back wearing his pants from dinner and tossed me his shirt. I took it gratefully and slipped it over my naked body. He took my hand and started heading toward I'm assuming the house we were in when I woke up earlier. It must be at least midnight.

My mind was churning by the time we made it inside. Reese took my hand and led me to a sitting room. Taking a blanket and wrapping it around me, before pulling me onto the big couch beside him. "What's happening to me?" I asked so quietly that I'm not sure how he could have heard it.. Even though I know what happened to me, the human part of my brain refused to believe that it was possible. Reese studied me for a minute, thinking over his words carefully before answering me. "Do you remember at any point, someone biting you?" He was serious. _Okay, think Emily_. I remember the night I was taken, a man came in and brought a big dog. The dog bit me on my right leg. Then everything was hazy and fuzzy until a day or two before I escaped. "Nobody bit me, but there was this dog- it was huge and it- I remember it biting my leg." Reese took a deep breath as he grabbed my hands in his. "Em, the dog that bit you was a wolf. It was a werewolf. You went through your transition and- well now you're a werewolf too. Just like me and everyone else who lives here. It's why I never invited you over here. I wanted to keep you away from all of this." He looked defeated, running his hand through his hair as he slumped back onto the couch. "I want you to feel comfortable asking me anything, okay?" He shifted his hand to rub my shoulder as I snuggled into his side. While I probably should be more freaked out than I am, something about Reese brings me comfort . "Okay, well um- we uh, we woke up naked- did we..um" I tripped over my words trying to figure out how to ask him if we'd had sex that I somehow forgotten about. He smiled and shook his head at me. "No love, I remember promising you that I was a gentleman the night that we met. If that time comes I promise you'll be the one to make that decision." _Whew. Okay. Good. Not that I haven't thought about it, but after recent events it isn't high up on my to do list. _I let out a long breath I didn't even realize I had been holding in. "So I turn into a wolf, is it like a full moon kind of thing? Do I need to throw away all of my silver jewelry? How many of us are there? Will it always feel like I'm about to die?" The questions flew out of my mouth as fast as my brain could put them together. I heard a rolling laugh coming from the doorway as I turned to see the others coming through the door.

The others filed into the room and took up spots on various pieces of furniture while someone started a fire. Jeremy sat across from me and smiled warmly. "Well, I certainly didn't expect you to find out about all of this because you triggered a change before we had the chance to speak." He said, "So let's start with the basics and go from there, does that sound alright?" I shook my head yes and he continued. "Introductions are in order I believe". He turned to the blonde woman sitting to his right "This is Elena, she and her husband Clayton and their two children live at Stonehaven with me in Bear Valley." She smiled warmly at me, which I returned. It was a little less awkward having at least one other woman here with me. He turned to Nick who I had met the night they found me "I believe you know Nick, and this is his father Antonio Sorrentino" he gestured to the other man sitting beside Nick. They looked to be brothers rather than father and son. I must have given away my thoughts because Nick piped in "Werewolves age slower than everyone else, one of the perks" he added with a wink. Antonio welcomed me into his home and told me that I was welcome to stay for as long as I needed. Next Jeremy turned to Noah whom I'd also met that night. Noah just smiled at me and nodded his head in hello. I couldn't help but notice that he never got too close to me, I hope I hadn't said or done something to offend him when he helped me to the car.

Jeremy explained that these were all prominent members of his pack, which spanned the entire length of North America. He told me there are others out there like us, some who are aligned with the pack and keep an eye on things for him in various places in the US. Then we went over Mutts, the werewolves who weren't members of the pack. I tried to soak in as much information as possible. He explained hierarchy in the pack and how each member has a set of jobs they were expected to do. He let Elena explain scents, how I would learn to track and fight in order to defend myself and my pack should I chose to stay. She told me that it was very much my choice if I wanted to be in the pack or not, but if I decided not to join that I would more than likely be hunted down. Apparently, I smell like a bitch in heat and the scent I give off is tantalizing to other wolves. "Should you decide to stay with the pack, you are under it's protection at all times. Any attack against you is a direct attack against all of us." Jeremy added as Elena was explaining all of the pros to being in the pack.

Once we had gone over the basics 'werewolf 101' as Nick put it, Jeremy asked everyone to leave the room aside from himself and Elena. I felt Reese tense up beside me and let out a low growl. He looked over to see if I would be okay without him, waiting for me to give him a sign that I was comfortable enough for him to leave me alone with Jeremy and Elena for a bit. I gave his hand a little squeeze and flashed a nervous smile his way. He studied me for another minute before he got up and followed out the door behind the others. Once the door was closed behind him Jeremy returned his attention to me.

"Okay Emily, I know that you've been through a terrible ordeal in the last few months. I need you to tell me everything you remember about the night that you were taken, and the people who took you." I thought back to that day, and tried to remember the hazy details-

_(Flashback) _

_Reese and I had met up for breakfast at a little diner on the edge of a park we hiked in all the time. We ate and talked for about an hour, then he paid for the food and we hopped into his car to head over to one of our favorite trails. We got out and went for a hike, Reese was really excited to show me a new trail that we hadn't ever gone down before. We walked for a few miles before we came to a clearing on top of a hill. At the bottom of the clearing was a beautiful babbling stream, littered with rocks and pebbles on each side. We'd explored around the stream when I got too close to one of the slippery rocks on the edge and fell in. Reese couldn't contain his laughter, clutching his sides and nearly falling to the ground at the sight of me soaking wet. When he came over to help me up, I splashed him in the face. The shock on his face sent me into squeals of laughter. We had a water fight in the stream, splashing and laughing without a care in the world. He'd pulled me to him in the middle of the stream and kissed me. I eagerly returned the kiss, feeling him smile into the kiss as I pulled myself up onto my tiptoes to deepen it. We stayed like that for a while before we started back toward his car, hand in hand, laughing and making plans to meet up the next day for dinner. I had a few exams I needed to study for the next day, so he took me back to my apartment. He'd started keeping a change of clothes there for the nights that he ended up staying over. We changed our clothes and he left with a promise to call me tomorrow after my exams. He wished me luck and kissed me goodbye before he left. I'd just started studying in my living room when I heard a loud knock on my door. I walked over to it and opened it slightly. There was a tall man standing there, he smiled at me when I opened the door. "Hi, can I help you with something?" I asked him. "Hello little Sheila, I was wondering if Reese was still here? I was supposed to meet him for lunch down the street and he never showed. I saw his car in front of your building when I drove by earlier." He said, smile never leaving his face. He was Australian too, so I assumed it must have been some of Reese's family. I mean it isn't usually a coincidence that you know two Aussies in one place. "No, I'm so sorry, you just missed him about 10 minutes ago" I explained. I was about to offer him Reese's cell number when he slammed his hand on my front door. "Perfect" he hissed as he pushed his way into my door. I tried to fight him back to get the door shut, but it was no use. He was almost double my size and weight. He chased me around my apartment to my living room where I made a dive for my cell. We knocked over a lamp as he tackled me to the floor, sending the broken glass deep into my skin. His hand clamped over my mouth as another large man came into the room. He seemed to sniff the air as he walked around, "Oh this is the right place, he's been here alright." He said as he walked into the bathroom and held up the wet clothes Reese had left here. "She's not going to be too happy that he's moved on. Grab the girl and we'll head to the cabin to see what she wants us to do with the human. All I know is that she wants her alive." _

_Those were the last words I heard before something hit me in the back of the head and the darkness took over. When I woke up I was on a dirty mattress in a dark room. My hands and legs were bound to a bed. I tried to free myself, but the ropes wouldn't give. I'd put blisters on my wrists from fighting against the ropes so hard when I heard voices coming toward the door. The second man who was in my apartment came in first, walking with a big- no huge- dog behind him. He smiled a bone chilling smile at me as he made his way over to the side of the bed to caress my face. I was begging and pleading for them to let me go between sobs. The man just laughed and told me it would all be over soon. I watched the giant dog inch it's way toward my bed, pausing so that I could feel it's hot breath peppering my skin. It paused and looked at the other man before he nodded and the dog clamped down onto my skin. I screamed as I was pushed into levels of pain I didn't know existed. From there I was in and out of consciousness for a while. Waking up long enough to scream and cry. To beg the men who came in to hurt me to stop. _

I filled them in on how I'd managed to escape, stopping at the point that I found Reese, Nick and Noah in the clearing. I paused when I felt Elena shift to put her hand on my knee. Her eyes betraying the sadness she was feeling. Giving me a look of understanding. Jeremy had been quiet thought the entire story and seemed to be deep in thought. He quickly stood up and said that he needed to make a few calls and he would be back later. "I'll have someone make you some more food before you go to bed, you need to eat to retain your strength" he added before he walked out of the room and shut the door back behind them. Once she was sure everyone was far enough away Elena took my hand in hers as she turned to me. "Emily, I know this isn't something you want to talk about, believe me I really do, but I have to know if they raped you" my stomach started clenching into knots at her words. I've been trying to push it back out of my mind, forget the way it felt and how rough they'd been with my already beaten body. I tried to speak but words wouldn't come as tears pricked my eyes and I could feel my throat tighten. All I could do was look at her and nod my head yes before quickly looking back at my lap. "Is there any chance at all that you could be pregnant?" She whispered to me. I looked around frantically as my heart sped up and fear gripped my body. "I don't know" I cried as she reached her arm over my shoulder and pulled me into her. "If I am- I can't- I mean I don't want to-" I couldn't finish the words forming in my mouth. She looked at me with kind eyes and nodded her head. "I understand honey, it's okay to feel that way. Does Reese know?" My heart stopped. No he didn't, we hadn't even talked about any of this. But I knew from one of our midnight talks and a few too many glasses of wine that his mom had been raped, that's how he came to be. I couldn't talk to him about this, he could never know that it was even a possibility or that I had no intentions on becoming a mother if my worst fears came true. What would he think of me if he knew? He could never love someone so weak. Elena noticed my thoughts as she nodded almost as if she was silently turning the same wheels in her head as well. "Tomorrow I'm going to take you out to town with me okay? We will get you some more clothes and take care of everything you need, does that sound okay?" I nodded my head again as she got up. "Please, don't tell Reese any of this" I said under my breath. She paused as she reached the door and whispered back over her shoulder "Don't worry Emily, I'll never betray your trust. Us girls have to stick together." With that she turned and walked out the door.

My body felt numb as the memories came crashing down around me of my time as a captive. I felt dirty. I needed to be clean. I slowly stood up and made my way through to the kitchen where I could hear voices. As I entered the room the aroma of decadent food wanted to me and my stomach let out a soft growl. I stood in the doorway silently for a minute just watching Nick and Noah laughing and cooking together. I smiled to myself, this really is like a big family. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye as I turned to see Antonio walking toward me. "Is there anything I can get you?" He asked with sincerity sparkling in his brown eyes. "I was actually wondering if there's anywhere I could maybe take a bath, or a shower?" His eyes lit up with understanding as he motioned for me to follow him. We walked back up the set of stairs that Reese had carried me down earlier. He pointed out rooms along the way showing me where everyone slept. We stopped in front of another door and he opened it up revealing a beautiful bedroom. The walls were painted in a beautiful pale blue, white billowing curtains fell perfectly along the wall of windows. To the right of the room was a huge canopy bed with a white down comforter and grey pillows. A small white desk was placed in front of one of the windows, with a plush fuzzy white chair pulled up under it. I almost gasped at the beauty of the room, it was beautiful and it oozed peaceful vibes as we walked in and he motioned to another door on the left side of the room. I opened it up to reveal a huge en-suite bathroom. A white soaking tub was set up in the middle of the room in front of a window overlooking the forest in the back. There was a shower big enough for three people in the corner, with more nozzles and shower heads than I had ever seen in one place before. The vanity was huge, complete with a seat and lighted mirror on the end. This was the kind of room you'd see in a magazine.

I must have paused at the door with a look of wonder on my face, Antonio stood patiently near me, allowing me enough time to register my surroundings before he spoke. "If this room is okay with you, it's yours for as long as you want it. I'm sorry that your first experience with our kind was as brutal as it was, I only hope that we can show you that our family is much different than the monsters you met. You'll be safe here dear." He added with a small pat on my shoulder. With that he turned and grabbed some towels and soap out of a linen closet. He sat them down on the vanity before he turned to walk out. "I sent Reese over to your old apartment to get some of your things. He should be back soon. Please take as long as you need and when you're done come down to the kitchen so we can get some warm food for you, okay?" I nodded as tears threatened to fall again. I had no idea why these people were being so kind to me, but I was so thankful that they were. He took a few more steps to the door when I stopped him. "Antonio" he looked up at the mention of his name. "Thank you, for welcoming me into your home. I don't- my family is all gone and- I'm just really grateful to you." As I finished the tears I had been trying to hold back crashed down my cheeks. Antonio took a few steps forward and gently wrapped his arms around me. Rubbing small circles into my back as I cried. There was something so fatherly about Antonio that made me miss my own father more than I had in months.

Once I was calm he released me and told me to come find him when I was done. I started my bath and filled it with some of the soap Antonio had left for me, watching as the huge tub filled with lightly scented bubbles. I stripped my clothes off and did a once over of my body in the mirror. I barely recognized myself as I took note of all the bruises covering my skin. Most of the cuts I had gotten during my escape had already healed, but Jeremy said that was expected. Apparently another perk of being a werewolf is speedy healing. My heart sank as I took in my bones poking out from under my skin, I looked sick and pitiful. I made a mental note to eat as much as possible to get myself healthy again. As soon as the bath was ready I stepped in and hissed at the hot water burning my skin. But I didn't care, I pushed myself down into the steaming bath and felt the tension in my sore muscles start to dissipate. I grabbed the loofa that had been sat on the table by the tub and ripped the tag off, painfully scrubbing every inch of my body over and over until I was raw and red. I just needed to wash it all away, the pain and hurt and the memories of what those men had done to me. Before I could stop them a new stream of hot tears was pouring down my face. I sat back in the water and let the feelings come, letting my tears wash away my fear and shame.

I'd cried all of the tears my body could muster and sat in the water until it was so cold that I was shivering. I slowly stood up and wrapped a towel around my body. I walked over to the mirror to see my eyes were puffy and red from all the crying, as I grabbed a rag and started to wash off my face. Once I was satisfied that it was free from tear stains I sat back and took in my reflection. My eyes were bright from crying, they always turned such a light shade of green when I cried. My lips were puffy and my skin was clear. I looked much better than I had when I entered the bathroom. I slowly made my way out the door of the bathroom, into the bedroom. I stopped in my tracks when I noticed the bed had been piled up with things. Things I recognized and bags upon bags of things that had tags on them. Beautiful clothes, jackets, shoes, socks. All of them costing more than everything I owned in my entire closet at my apartment. Another bag contained nothing but new bras and underwear, I blushed as I thought about Reese picking them out. A small chuckle escaped my lips when I thought of how lost he must have been picking out all of this, but somehow he'd managed to get the right sizes. _He must have gotten the sizes off my clothes at my apartment. _

I put on a comfy matching light pink set and slipped on some black leggings and a teal green hoodie. Walking back in the bathroom I wondered if it would be rude to look through the cabinets for a blow dryer as I remembered Antonio telling me this was my room now. I rummaged through the drawers in the vanity until I found what I was looking for. I set to work fixing my hair as best as I could, lightly drying my hair as I watched my curls begin to form back into their usual ringlets and not the wadded up mess it had been before. I found a new toothbrush and some toothpaste in one of the bags and brushed my teeth twice, relishing the feeling of clean teeth. I put on some chapstick that I found in one of my jacket pockets from my apartment and slipped my feet into a pair of the fuzzy moccasin slippers I found on my bed. Rummaging through my duffel bag filled with things from my apartment I found the beaded choker necklace Reese had bought for me. We had been out one day and I saw it in a shop window. He must have noticed me admiring it, because the next day he surprised me with it. I smiled at the fond memory and fastened it to my neck. Finally I was starting to feel a bit more normal.

I opened the door and started to make my way back through the winding halls of the huge house. Suddenly realizing I had no clue where I was. _Great. How does someone get lost inside a house? _I thought to myself as I made a series of twists and turns that led me to a dead end. Just then I heard a door open, making me jump and spin around. Noah walked out of the door and skidded to a halt when he realized it was me. I must have looked terrified because he held out his hands in a 'I come in peace' gesture. I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked at my feet "umm, I'm sorry. I'm trying to find the kitchen and I somehow got lost." I looked up at the end of my sentence to see he looked just as embarrassed as I must have. _So that's it, he must be really shy. _I realized as his cheeks grew red before he answered "it's okay, I couldn't find my way around here for weeks when Antonio took me in. Come on and I'll show you." He walked down the hall and I followed silently. We finally made our way down the stairs and I thanked him for helping me. As I walked into the kitchen I gawked at the sheer amount of food on the table. "What can I do to help" I asked as I walked up to the table. Nick who had his back turned to me jumped a little at the sound of my voice. "Geez, you're so quiet. You almost gave me a heart attack" he squeaked. I smiled at him as he handed me some plates and asked me to set the table. I glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly 3 in the morning. Suddenly feeling terrible because I knew this was all because of me. I'd ruined their dinner and changed, causing everyone else to have to go out for a run too. As I sat the last plate on the table I felt strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me toward a muscled body. I took a deep breath in as Reese bent down to brush a sweet kiss onto my head. I felt him breathe in deeply before he whispered "well you certainly smell better" I could feel his smile on my skin as I turned around to give him a light slap on the arm.

Dinner was, thankfully, uneventful and I ate until I couldn't eat another bite of food. My eyes were getting heavy as I felt sleep tugging at the corners of my consciousness. After the table had been cleared I tried to help with dishes but was shooed out of the kitchen by Nick and Elena who ordered me to get some rest. I'm not sure why I didn't protest, I normally would have. It's rude to leave the cleanup to your hosts after all. But something about the way they told me to go to bed made my body turn and obey immediately. I stopped at the top of the stairs, feeling a bit panicked at finding the room Antonio had shown me earlier. Reese started up the stairs behind me seeing my hesitation. He smiled warmly at me as he scooped me up and started down the hall, ignoring my protests that my legs worked just fine. I'm not sure why the way he scooped me up made my heart flutter, but his touch was sending electric butterflies zooming through my stomach. We got to the door and he shuffled me to get it open without putting me down. He walked over to the bed and dropped me onto the soft feathery comforter. I slipped off my moccasins and slid under the cover. My body sighed in relief as I felt myself sink down in the plush mattress. Reese hesitated before grabbing my hand and pulling me toward him to plant a soft kiss on my forehead. He started to get up when I squeezed his hand. He froze and looked at me, waiting for me to explain my hesitation. "What's wrong sweetie?" He asked as concern clouded his face. "I was wondering if you were allowed to stay with me, I mean if you want to." I mentally cursed myself for sounding so weak and pitiful, but I needed him right now. For some reason I just needed him to be near me, to fee his skin and breathe in his scent. It's the only way I'll be getting any rest tonight. He looked me over before he squeezed my hand again. "Okay" he smiled "let me go change and I'll be right back." I nodded and watched him walk out the door.

I laid there under the covers mulling over everything I'd learned today. As insane as all of this sounded to the human and logical parts of my brain, there was a small part of me that couldn't help but accept that this was right. Even though I didn't know anyone here but Reese, I felt safe here. My mind tried to take me back to my captivity but I quickly brushed that away. All I want is to forget, to move on past this. I was lost in my thoughts when I saw Reese come back into the room. He was wearing basketball shorts, and a t-shirt. I smiled at him as he walked over to the bed. Sure we had fallen asleep snuggled up watching movies but we had never just crawled in bed together to go to sleep. I felt the covers move and he shifted his body in beside me. His warmth filling in where cool sheets had just been. He took his hand and gently brushed some of the curls away from my face before he leaned down to give me a chaste kiss on my lips. I smiled and turned to lay on my side beside him. He wrapped his arm around me and shifted until my head was laying on his chest, our legs wrapped around each other. I took a deep breath as I let his scent fill my senses, it was like a drug as I felt it work through my body until I was completely relaxed. I traced small circles on his chest as I felt him running his hands through my hair. He kissed me on top of my head one last time, I faintly heard him whisper "You're okay babe, sleep. I'll be right here." As the warmth from his body pulled me into darkness and sleep took over.


	6. Chapter 6

(Emily POV )

Elena had let me sleep in the next day before we headed out to the city. She had me do a tally of anything I might need before we left and we stopped at a few stores. We spent the day talking and laughing, just getting to know each other. I really like Elena, she was easy to talk to and it felt so good to have some girl time. I told her this and she agreed, she shared with me some of the more intimate details of being a female wolf. "Wait. So it's just us?" I asked incredulously, she nodded. "Yes, as far as we know you and I are the only ones to ever survive the bite. We don't know why." I thought about that _Just the two of us, no wonder the males can't seem to get a grip. _ We kept the conversation light as we pulled up in front of a small grey building. My stomach did somersaults as we walked inside and Elena spoke with an elderly woman sitting at a reception desk. She made her way over to me and sat down in the chair beside mine. We both knew why we were here, thankfully nobody at the house had any clue, except maybe Jeremy. I have the feeling not much happens in the pack that he doesn't know about. I could smell my own fear coming from me in waves as my heart started to pound and my palms became sweaty. Finally a woman came out of a room and called me back into a bathroom. Instructing me on how to pee in a cup and where to leave it before she turned on her heel and shut the door behind her. My hands were shaking so hard I could hardly get the lid off of the cup. Once I was done I sat the cup on the shelf like I was instructed and walked back out to the waiting room. I found Elena on the phone, I could hear little voices coming from the other side. "Mommy when will you be home?" Asked a tiny voice that sounded like it came from a little girl. "She's working Kat, you know she'll be back soon" replied another young voice that belonged to a boy. He sounded older than the girl, even though I knew from talking and pictures Elena had shown me that they were twins. Elena reassured the kids that she would be home soon just as the woman from before walked out to call my name again. Elena quickly hung up and got up to follow me into a room with a table on it. I was instructed to undress from the waist down and get on the table. When the nurse left, Elena turned around to allow me some privacy. I couldn't breathe as my heart hammered down into my chest. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, though according to the clock it was only five minutes, before an elderly woman walked in with a chart in her hand.

"Well, it would appear that you are indeed pregnant." She said matter of factly before coming to sit beside me. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't speak. My world came crashing down around me as I began to uncontrollably shake and cry. Elena was at my side in an instant, taking my hands and trying to reassure me the best way she could. The doctor explained my options for termination after Elena filled her in that this was an unexpected pregnancy, the result of being raped. I felt so much shame that I wasn't strong enough to do this. I wasn't even 21 yet, I don't even understand what's happening with my transitions right now. _I don't want a reminder of him. _I laid back on the table as Elena came to stand beside me and took my hand. Hot tears of shame rolled down my face as the doctor set to work ridding me of my last reminder of my captors, of my pain. When it was all over I was left alone to redress while Elena stepped out to speak with the doctor. We left shortly after, the car ride was silent aside from Elena explaining the symptoms the doctor said I could expect. She explained that thankfully since our bodies have advanced healing it wouldn't take my body as long to get back to normal. We stopped at another store to buy some feminine products before we started back toward Catskills.

By the time we made it back to the house the sun was starting to set. We walked inside as Jeremy called Elena over to talk with him, I'm assuming about the events of today. My entire body was achy as I trudged up the stairs. I finally found my room and walked inside, closing the door and locking it behind me. I could feel my stomach twisting and cramping in ways that sent shudders down my spine. I got up and walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the hot water cleanse me of my shame. I stood in the shower and cried, my body heaving with sobs. I slid against the cool tiled shower wall until I was sitting with my knees pulled up to my chest, letting the water mix with my tears. When no more tears would come I turned off the water and stepped out. I grabbed my favorite pair of sweats and a hoodie, pulling them over my body and welcoming the warmth they provided. I'd just finished drying my hair when I heard a light knock on my door. I expected to see Reese as I pulled it open, but instead Nick stood there with a huge plate of lasagna and garlic bread. His goofy grin made me forget for a moment the events of the day. He gestured toward my room asking if he could come in. I opened the door up and stepped aside. He walked in and sat the plate down at my desk and pulled the chair out, motioning for me to sit. I sat down as he went over to sit on the side of my bed, watching me as I picked up the fork and took a bite of the lasagna. It was _heavenly. _He grinned as my stomach growled for more. "So, I realized earlier that we don't know much about each other" he said. "You're my pack sister now so I was thinking maybe if you wanted to we could get to know each other a bit?" His easy going demeanor had me relaxed and in no time at all we were sharing embarrassing stories and laughing until our sides hurt. "-then she slapped me right on the ass, I wasn't expecting it and I fell face first into the fountain-" he was animatedly telling me another story that had me squealing with laughter. Once I'd finished my food I went over to sit on the side of the bed near him. "So let's play a game, I say a word and you tell me your favorite thing associated with it, okay?" I nodded my head as he began, he asked me about my favorite animals, places to visit, dream cars. We talked about our lives before I came here. By the time we were done talking my sides were in stitches from laughing so hard and Nick had tears streaming down his face. _I needed this. _I thought to myself, how long had it been since I'd laughed like that? Soon my eyelids began to droop and I watched Nick pick up the plate and turn to leave. He wished me goodnight and told me that Reese had gone out for a while but he would be back soon. He paused at the door and turned back to look at me. "You know, Reese was right, you really are a total sweetheart. I can see why he's crazy about you" he said with a smile before turning to close the door.

As much of a distraction as Nick had been, the moment I was alone again I could feel the tears slowly prick at my eyes. Reese thought I was amazing, but would he if he knew what I'd done? He could never know. Elena had promised that what happened today was completely confidential, and even though I didn't know her very well I believed her. I laid there and cried myself to sleep, letting my guilt and shame wash over me until my sobs pulled me into a restless sleep.

_I dreamed I was back inside the house in the woods. Flashes of sharp teeth and the smell of blood permeated my senses. I could see my body being torn to shreds by the wolf that bit me. Unable to look away I watched as he tore my body from limb to limb. I could hear the shredding of my skin as bits and pieces of it ripped from my body. I could hear myself screaming but it wouldn't stop the pain. Just as the wolf lunged at my face I felt myself being pulled awake- _

I jerked my body as my eyes flew open. Tears were streaming down my face and my body was sticky with sweat. I felt strong hands grip my arms as I was pulled up into a warm chest, I could hear my name but it took me a moment to register that I was awake. My eyes darted frantically around the dark room until I realized it was Reese holding me. His eyes were wide with worry as he pulled me into a bone crushing hug. He held me there until my breathing returned back to normal and my tears slowed. I slowly pulled back to adjust myself into a sitting position, Reese's hands never leaving me. "Are you okay now?" His voice cracked at the last word and I could see tears threatening to fall. I nodded my head yes, unable to form words. He leaned back and pulled me on top of him so that I was laying straddling his lap with my head on his chest. My wolf purred with happiness at the contact, which instantly soothed me. "Emily, babe, we have to talk about it" he said quietly. I nodded my head again, I knew we did. We just hadn't had the chance since he found me. So I told him everything- almost everything. His hands clenched my waist as I told him about the day I was taken, how they'd known who he was. His breathing hitched when I told him the guy who attacked me was Australian. By the time I was done we both had silent tears streaming down our faces. "Em, did they- did they hurt you?" His voice was barely above a whisper. I didn't want to lie to him, but I couldn't tell him the truth. I couldn't break his heart anymore than all of this already had. A fat tear fell onto his chest as I pondered what to say. "Just shut up and hold me." I knew it wasn't an answer, but I just wasn't ready to say it to him. I didn't want him to think less of me. I glanced up at him and he had a murderous expression on his face. _He already knows, he's known since the night he found you. _My wolf reminded me, upset with me for not being honest with our mate. _Wait. Mate? _I didn't even know what that meant. My wolf was so confusing sometimes, sure Reese and I had spent lots of time together and I think he enjoyed my company as much as I did his, but it was never too serious.

His hands traced lines along my back and I shivered at the contact, breaking my thoughts about my confusing wolf. I lifted my head to see him laying with his head back on the pillows, breathing in my scent. _Does my scent calm him down like his does for me? _I wondered. Before I could stop myself I asked him "Reese? What do I smell like?" I bit my lip as he opened his eyes and stiffened under me. When he met my gaze his eyes were dark and filled with.. _lust? _I sat up onto my elbows and watched him formulate an answer. " Well, you smell like-" he paused and took a few deep breaths "you smell like jasmine, and sunshine, and-" he paused again before I interrupted him "Like a bitch in heat?" I blurted the words as heat crept up my cheeks. He turned his head to the side and looked at me curiously before he smiled. "No babe, not like a bitch in heat. I would be lying to you if I said that your scent didn't do something to me. It's.. tantalizing" he whispered as he trailed his fingers along my side. My breathing hitched in my throat and my heart went into overdrive. I swallowed hard as I leaned up to kiss him. He stiffened at first, but quickly relaxed and returned my kiss. He gently ran his hands along my legs, leaving a trail of fire in their path. After a few moments I pulled away from the kiss, blushing deeply when I shifted and felt him hard under me. "I'm sorry" I said as I pulled myself off of him and onto my side to lay on his chest. "What in the world do you have to be sorry for?" He questioned me curiously. I glanced down at the bulge in his pants before meeting his gaze. "I just- I'm not ready to- I'm not trying to tease y-" he cut me off with a finger to my lips. "No. Emily don't apologize for that. I don't care if it takes you a lifetime to be ready, I'll wait for you. I would never forgive myself if I pushed you into doing something you weren't ready for." He wrapped his arms around me and I sat my head on his chest. We both fell asleep tangled up in each other, this sleep coming much more peacefully than the last. No dreams haunted me when I closed my eyes as I snuggled myself even tighter against him. I can't be sure, but I'm almost positive I heard him whisper that he loved me before darkness pulled me under into a blissful sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Two months later: **

(Emily POV)

I've never been happier to see the Sorrentino estate in all of my life. I've spent the last month and a half at Stonehaven training with Elena and Clay. I winced as I felt the bruise forming on my ribs where Clayton had kicked me during our last training session. He was no nonsense, that's for sure. He took his place in the pack seriously and I could tell from the moment I met him he was much more in tune with his wolf than most of the others I'd met.. We'd worked on training every single day for the entire time I had been there. At first I wished he would take it easy on me, until Elena explained that he was doing it for my safety. If a mutt attacked me again, they wouldn't be going easy on me. Before I left I had earned enough of Clays respect to deserve a pat on the back as he told me to take care of myself. Apparently that's a high compliment for him to give someone he doesn't know very well.

The twins were amazingly adorable, Kate was bubbly and girly, while Logan was much more serious and ridiculously smart. They were sad when it was time for me to leave, but I promised them I would return as soon as I could and take them out for ice cream. That seemed to please them enough for them to let go of my legs and let me get into the car. Jeremy had worked hard on getting me back to a healthy weight and I was finally back to normal. Granted, I still feel like an ant compared to all of these huge guys around me every day, but at least my clothes fit again. I was stronger now, and I was confident in my ability to defend myself. I was actually excited to start my training with the guys, I smiled to myself as I imagined the looks on their faces when I took one of them down.

When Jeremy pulled into the garage, Antonio was waiting for us. He wrapped me in a warm hug and welcomed me home. I hugged him back just as eagerly, glad to be back to my new family. Antonio had gone above and beyond for me since I came to stay with him. He'd given me credit cards with ungodly allowances, though I rarely used them for anything other than _cheap _essentials. He offered me his car whenever I needed or wanted to go somewhere, he even had my room completely redone while I was away. I'll never forget the night he pulled me in for a hug on one of his visits to Stonehaven and told me I was his daughter and that he loved me very much. Of course I started blubbering on like a baby, but I told him that I loved him too. And I do, he's been so kind to me, so patient and understanding. As I grabbed my bags, Jeremy asked me if I'd like to go check out the changes they'd made to my room while he spoke to Antonio in his office. While he said it as a suggestion, I heard the underlying order in his words and immediately submitted to my Alpha before gathering up my things and heading inside.

The house was quiet in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. Nick and Reese were at work in the city, Noah was gone to his classes. I couldn't help the goofy grin that broke out on my face as I walked through the house that now felt like home. I'd missed this place while I was gone. I made my way up to my door and found a big red bow attached. I rolled my eyes and smiled at the gesture, I'm sure the ostentatious bow was Nicks idea. I opened the door and my breath caught in my throat. My new room was literally _renovated. _They'd had a fireplace installed, painted all of my walls a creamy taupe grey. My bed was a wooden canopy style bed that looked vintage, with beautiful deep purple and cream drapes surrounding the bed. A large fur rug padded the floor in front of the bed, and the once white comforter had been replaced with a cream and purple quilt that perfectly matched the canopy drapes. The windows had sparkly sheer cream curtains flowing from the ceiling to the floor. A huge flatscreen tv had been mounted to the wall, and speakers were hidden all around the room and bathroom. A brand new MacBook laid on my new desk, along with the latest iPhone on the market. I noticed the bathroom and closet doors also had big bows on them. My jaw dropped when I got to the closet. It had been lined with high end shelving units and was _overflowing _with brand new clothing. Everything I could ever think of from brands that I couldn't even afford to buy second hand was neatly organized on hangers. A seat had been placed in the middle of the room and a full length lighted mirror stood along the far wall. Floor to ceiling shoe shelves line both sides of the mirror. My stomach churned at the thought of the money they'd spent on all of this just for me. Feeling overwhelmed by the closet, I backed out of the room and turned to go to the bathroom. I steadied myself as I opened the door, unsure of what I was going to find. _I'm not really sure why they redid the bathroom, it was amazing before_. I walked in to see that the bathroom had been completely renovated to match the bedroom. Beautiful taupe grey, cream and deep purple mixed perfectly to create an oasis that was magazine worthy. The soaking tub had been surrounded by shelving, a step was added in front of the tub. I chuckled to myself _okay, that was a pretty good idea. I'm pretty short to hike myself into the tub. _I was amazed at how thoughtful they'd been. So good to me, more than I deserved.

After I took a long hot bath in my new bathroom I walked over to the closet to look through the clothes they'd gotten me. I tried not to look at the prices on any of the tags, it would only add to my guilt. I picked some beautiful distressed jeans and an off the shoulder emerald green top. Slipping on some tan sandals and some simple jewelry I set to work fixing my hair and putting on some light makeup, all of which they'd apparently supplied for me too. I stood in front of the mirror in my closet and smiled to myself. I looked like me again. My skin was tan from being outside in the spring air training everyday while I was at Stonehaven. My body looked lean and healthy under my clothes. The green shirt made my green eyes look like a sea of jade. I'd kept my makeup light, just some simple foundation, mascara, lipgloss and a tiny bit of highlighter. I walked downstairs and found that Jeremy and Antonio were still deep in discussion in Antonio's office, so I walked out the back door. It was getting warmer every day and soon it would be warm enough to use the pool. I made a mental note to check for swimsuits soon so I could be ready. I made my way through the yard to the forest. I walked in silence for a while, just enjoying the sounds of nature and the peace of being alone for a little while. Since I'd come here, I haven't had much time alone. I stopped when I got to a small clearing with a babbling stream coming through it. There was a big rock jutting out over the stream and I carefully made my way over to it. I laid back on my back on the warm rock and listened to the sound of the water rushing through the rocks below me. The warmth and lull of the stream quickly pulled me into a warm and comfortable sleep.

I woke up to the sound of sticks crunching nearby. I sat up onto my elbows and tried to get my bearings. The sun was lower in the sky than it had been when I'd gotten here, so I'm guessing it was at least 4 in the afternoon. I looked over to try to find the sound of the noise when I saw a flash of white coming from between two trees. I sniffed the air tentatively just like Elena had taught me trying to pick up on a scent. _Found it. "_You know, if you're trying to sneak up on me you're going to have to do a lot better than that baby" I giggled. I heard Reese curse under his breath and step out into the clearing. _My god. He looked like a male model walking toward me. _I stayed propped up on my elbows watching him stride toward me with a grin on his face. As soon as he was within a close distance I jumped up and ran into his arms. My wolf was purring with contentment at his touch. I'd talked to Elena a lot about mates while I was at Stonehaven, and I think I've finally accepted that my wolf mated me to Reese, even though we aren't considered mates until we.. you know mate. He twirled me around in a circle as I wrapped my legs around his waist. Without wasting a minute I grabbed him by the face and smashed my lips against him, kissing him hungrily. He returned the kiss with no hesitation. We'd seen each other on the weekends while I was gone, but we usually always had someone with us. We were very overdue for alone time.

When we broke off our kiss I wrapped my arms around him and buried my head into his neck, gulping in his scent. I felt him placing feathery light kisses down the side of my neck, making me gasp and shiver as he got to a sensitive spot. He smiled into my neck and kissed it again, making me gasp. We'd talked a lot over the last few weeks and he knew that if he did anything that made me uncomfortable all I had to do was say so. Ever since he came to that realization he's been pushing the limits more and more, not that I mind. I'm ready, I know I am. I love Reese and I know he loves me, even if we've not said it out loud yet. I nipped at his ear as I buried my head back down to his neck. Kissing lightly down his jaw and neckline just as he had me. When I got to his sensitive spot just past the collar of his shirt his grip on me tightened. I smiled at his reaction and nipped his skin with my teeth before I sank my mouth down on the sensitive spot. Nipping and sucking until I was satisfied with my mark. He was mine. Over the last few weeks I've become much more in-tune with my wolf, she needed to let everyone know Reese was our mate. I was more than happy to indulge her request. I smelled his arousal as I bent down to make another mark beside the first, I felt him moving but I had no idea where we were going. We shifted as I was gently placed on my back on the rock I'd napped on earlier. I pulled back to look at my mate, when he met my eyes his were filled with pure unaltered lust. My insides began to burn as he took his hands and ran them up and down the front of my body. He leaned forward toward my neck but paused to look up at me, making sure this was okay. I growled in response and pushed his head toward me. A small moan escaped my lips as his mouth clamped down onto my neck, my wolf was jumping up and down because our mate was marking us too. Electric bolts shot through my stomach as I arched my chest up into him, the smell of my own arousal mixing with his to make an intoxicating aroma. I inched my hands up under his shirt to feel his rippling muscles, he shuddered as I lightly raked my nails along his back. Before I knew what was happening his mouth was crashing down on mine, his tongue exploring my mouth greedily. I grabbed the edges of his shirt and yanked it up, ripping it a little before it went flying into the grass. I felt his hands grabbing the bottom of my own shirt as I lifted my arms to slip it off my body. My legs wrapped around his waist as he sat up with me straddling him. I wriggled my hips into the hard bulge in his pants. Without breaking our kiss I reached for his jeans before his hands shot out to grab mine. "Baby" he said with a husky voice that only kicked my butterflies into overdrive. "Are you sure?" He leaned back to take in my expression with questioning eyes. He's been so patient with me, never pushing me. I knew he had been waiting for this, and now I was more than ready. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I reached out to caress his cheek. "Reese, I- I love you. I'm sure, I know what this means" his eyes grew wide as I spoke. His mouth crashed into mine again as his hands slid their way down my bare back, stopping at my bra hooks and undoing them in a flash. He leaned back to look at my now exposed body, drinking in the sight of me before meeting my eyes. "I love you too Emily. God you're so beautiful" he said. My hands flew down to his pants and I unclasped them as we shifted so he could slide them down his legs. Our breathing ragged as we raced to get the last bits of clothing off.

Once we were completely naked he laid me down on my back as he leaned back. He paused before he got into position. "Damn it, I don't have any protection" he growled as he started to get up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him back down. "It's okay love, I'm on the pill. I wanted to be ready so that we could enjoy this when the time came." I breathed as his hands explored my body. He dipped his hand down in between my legs as I felt a finger slip inside of me. I gasped at the feeling as I heard Reece let out a soft growl. He started working his fingers slowly, leaving breathy kisses all down my cheeks and neck before stopping to take one of my breasts into his mouth. I squirmed with desire as I watched him inch down lower and lower until I could feel his hot breath on my waiting entrance. As his mouth came down on me I moaned out. He set to work sucking and licking until I felt a hot pressure building up in my lower stomach. Just before I came over the edge he stopped and pulled himself up over my body, grinning when he saw my pout of disapproval. His lips met mine again as I felt him position himself at my waiting entrance. He paused again to give me time to tell him to stop, but I didn't dare, every part of my body was on fire and I needed to feel him inside me. Now. I felt a sharp pain as he slowly slid into me, stretching me more than I'd ever been before. He paused when he felt me grip against him, his hands tight against my hips. He looked down to meet me in the eye and I could see his wolf out in full view, so I let mine out too. The moment I did it was like some piece of the world shifted and locked into place. I felt him slide deeper and deeper into me until he was completely inside me. I moaned as he started gyrating his hips in and out, faster and faster until I had my nails clawing at his back. I couldn't get enough of him as he worked over my body. He shifted us so that I was sitting up on top of him now, taking my hips in his hands and moving me up and down. "Oh god" I heard him breathe out as the fire in my stomach threatened to explode again. He found the spot inside of me that made me cry out with pleasure, hitting it over and over again. I felt my walls clamp down on him as my body shook and I buried my face in his neck to muffle my moans. He quickly flipped me over as I started to come down from my high and I felt his grip tighten on me. With another hard thrust he was buried inside of me, spilling his hot liquid deep inside of me. He collapsed onto the ground beside me as he pulled me over to lay on his chest. We laid together by the stream as he traced circles on my skin, peppering my face with light kisses. "I love you" I murmured into his chest. "I love you too babe" he said into my hair. After a while of laying together in the grass we got up and found our clothes, minus one ripped up shirt. I blushed when he held it up and he chuckled telling me it was no big deal. He grabbed my hand and we walked in content silence back to the house.

Reese ran upstairs for a new shirt when we got back while I walked into the kitchen to see if Nick and Noah needed any help with dinner. I found them snacking on a large tray of cheese and meats at the bar. When they saw me both men smiled warmly and offered for me to come join them. They said we were all going out to dinner tonight so I'd need to start getting ready soon. I went to grab a chair beside Nick as I heard Reese start down the stairs. I sat down and pulled my hair into a ponytail before I grabbed a handful of food when I noticed the boys faces, looking at me comically. "What?" I asked as I plopped a cube of cheese into my mouth. Noah's face was bright red and he was looking anywhere but me as I spoke. I turned to Nick who had a ridiculous grin plastered on his face just staring at me. I heard Noah mutter something about needing a shower as he shot off through the door, almost knocking Reese over as he came through. "What the hells gotten into him?" He muttered as he came to sit beside me and Nick. When he noticed Nick still staring at me he growled lowly and asked him what he was doing. "You know" Nick said shifting his body to face me a little more. "I was just looking at that bruise on your neck, and- did you get a new perfume?" He asked with a wicked smile. My cheeks went flaming hot as I grabbed my hair tugged it out of the ponytail. Nick stood up and gave Reese a manly pat on the shoulder before he made his way out of the room still grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Wonderful" I said " How long do you think it'll be before everyone knows?" I looked at Reese who looked extremely amused. "Oh knowing Nick I'd say right about…. Now" he grinned at me as he came to stand in between my legs. "I never knew you were the type to get embarrassed" he teased as he bent down to kiss me. The kiss sent a new wave of butterflies coursing down my body as I gasped a little into his mouth. "I need a shower" I said as I hopped off the chair and started for the door. I turned slightly and raised an eyebrow at him. "You coming?" I questioned before turning and starting up the stairs. Reese stood frozen in his spot for a few seconds before he took off out the kitchen doors and scooped me up, taking the rest of the steps two at a time until he had me in the bathroom. Half of our clothing ripped off the second we made it through the bedroom door. Let's just say, this was one shower I'll never forget…


	8. Chapter 8

(Emily POV)

"Dead. Again" Clay ordered as I heaved my tired body off the ground. I spun around and attempted the maneuver again, trying to remember every detail of the technique he had shown me. We'd been at this for hours and every inch of my body was screaming at me to stop. I huffed as Clayton easily threw me to the ground again with a huff. "You're being too predictable Emily. You're giving yourself away before you ever move, stop over thinking it and just move. Again." I wanted to scream, tell him that of course I was predictable because he knew exactly what I was trying to do, but I dared not speak to the pack enforcer like that. While at times it seemed like Clay actually liked me, I was reminded quickly that if he felt I was a liability to the pack he would take care of me himself. Three more attempts, three more painful takedowns by Clay.

I've never been more relived in my life to see Nick walk through the doors of Stonehaven into the yard where Clay had just pinned me again. "Dead" he muttered as he pinned my body from behind, leaving my neck vulnerable. I just laid still and sighed deeply into the grass. I'd been spending almost all of my free time at Stonehaven, training with Clayton. While it seemed like a good idea at the time to ask him to continue my training himself, moments like these made me quickly regret my decision. I finally felt Clay push himself off of me as he got up to greet Nick with a hug. "So how's she doing?" Nick jokingly asked as he watched me heave myself up onto my feet. Clay looked over at me with a small grin before replying "Well, she lasted longer than usual. She's making progress, I'd say in a few weeks she'll be able to take you on" he teased Nick with a light punch to the arm.

I beamed over to Nick who shot me a warning look. Clayton didn't know I had already taken Nick down in the training room at home, twice. I can still see the look on his face when he realized that I had bested him the first time. The room was silent as the boys and Antonio watched with wonder before everyone erupted into cheers. Nick was still trying to live that one down at home and he certainly didn't want Clay to know, he would never hear the end of it. While I wished that I had a break from the strenuous training while I was at home, it was just as tiring. Ever since Reese and I became mates he's taken my training at home very seriously, insisting that I be able to defend myself should he not be there to protect me. Unlike Clay, Reese was always encouraging and complimenting my newly mastered skills, making training with him a bit more bearable. _Speaking of our mate… _I looked around the guys to the doors of the house, waiting for Reese to come out. He usually always rode with Nick to pick me up on Sunday.

"He had some things to take care of, looks like it's just you and me today beautiful" Nick purred at me as if he could read my mind while he walked over to throw his arm around my shoulder. At first his flirtatious nature made me a bit uncomfortable, but now that I'd been living with the pack for a while I realized it was just Nick being himself. I smiled as I leaned my head onto his shoulder and started to the house. Anyone in the human world would probably find this a bit odd, but we were Pack and touching was one way we communicated with each other. I gathered all of my things and bid everyone farewell until next weekend as we hopped into Nicks car and sped off toward Catskills. We made small talk on the way home, but I could tell there was something Nick was keeping from me. I eyed him quizzically as we drove on, trying to gauge what was going on in his mind.

"Quarter for your thoughts" I finally muttered at him, unable to get a read as to what he was keeping from me. He turned his head slightly and shot me a confused look as he raised an eyebrow. "Quarter? I thought it was penny for your thoughts." He said with a smirk. "Yeah, well you know inflation and all…" I quipped back at him, causing him to break out into a huge grin. "You'll see soon enough" was the only reply I could get out of the older wolf.

When we finally made it back to the house everyone was gone. Nick muttered something about having "lots of important things to do. Extremely important things" as he headed off into his office and closed the door. I shrugged and headed to my room, I was more than okay with a bit of time to myself. After I was bitten and kidnapped I had fallen so far behind in school that I had to take the entire semester again. I'm pretty sure the Sorrentinos bribed someone, because suddenly there were open spots in all of my classes I needed to take to finish out my semester. All online of course. While I loved all of my Pack family, they were ridiculously overprotective and rarely let me out without someone there to keep me safe. Another reason why I'd been working so hard on my training with Clay, hopefully soon they wouldn't see me as someone who needed protection but as an equal. Noah was two years younger than I was and he got double the freedom I did. I rolled my eyes at the thought as I plopped down onto my bed with my laptop and books. My sore muscles screamed at me for the sudden movement, so I decided to wait a bit on my work to go take a hot shower instead.

After my shower I dried my hair and threw it up into a messy bun with a tie dye headband, I pulled on a loose black t-shirt and my favorite tie dye workout leggings. My muscles weren't nearly as cramped now and I hoped I would finally be able to get some much needed work done. I plopped back down on my bed and sighed as I meticulously sat the mountain of books and supplies around me and dove into a paper that was due, tomorrow. I had gotten lost in my work when a knock on the door shook me from my trance. I glanced at the clock and realized I'd been holed up in my room for three hours. I yelled for them to come in as I stretched out to relieve my left foot which had fallen asleep at some point during my work. I was surprised to see Noah walk in the door, assuming it would be Nick or Reese.

Noah was sweet, but super shy. He never said much and I thought he didn't like me for a long time after I moved here. He'd only really started coming around and actually having conversations with me when Reese and I became mates. Even then they were never intimate like the ones he had with Nick or Reese, but simple and comfortable conversations. I was okay with that. I smiled at him as he walked through the door and shut it behind him, my face falling a bit when I saw the look of uncertainty on his face. "Noah? What's wrong honey?" I asked as he inched his way over to me. He met my eyes, and quickly submitted to me before he spoke. Something he's been doing for a while now. Even though I was older than him and technically higher up in the Pack hierarchy, it was still strange for me to see this young man who towered over me submitting his wolf to mine. "Emily I was wondering if maybe you, um if you cared to help me with something. I don't really want to talk to the guys about it and I could use some advice" he was staring a hole into the floor while fidgeting with an invisible wrinkle on his shirt. I smiled and nodded. Noah might be shy, but I've come to love him fiercely as my little brother.

"Do you want to go somewhere to talk about it? I'd love some coffee if you're up to the trip?" I asked lowly as I watched him nervously glancing around the room. He huffed a sigh of relief before we headed to the garage. I watched with horror as Noah grabbed two bike helmets and started toward his bike. It was his baby he had gotten as a present from Nick when he graduated high school last year and I'd been too chicken to ride on it. We may be werewolves, but we're just as mortal as any human on one of these things. Noah looked back at me and grinned, one of those rare grins he saves for those he truly trusts and thrusted the helmet into my hands. I sighed and took the helmet before climbing onto the back and gingerly placing my arms around his waist. The bike roared to life and before I knew it we were speeding down the street toward our favorite coffee shop in town. One thing Noah and I had bonded over was our love for our coffee. I felt myself relaxing as we rolled down the road, the feeling of the warm early May air whipping around us. Noah sped up a bit and popped the front of his bike off the road a bit, causing a squeal of excitement to escape my lips. I felt him chuckle as we rounded the corner and arrived at our destination.

Once inside we ordered our usual drinks and found a spot near the back corner to plop down. The atmosphere of the coffee shop was warm and inviting, always bustling with customers and filled with laughter. It was the kind of place you walked into and felt it's warmth deep in your soul. Noah hopped up quickly to grab our coffees and returned looking a bit nervous. I could feel his tension and for some reason my stomach began to flip flop around with tension too. _Whatever he has to tell me, he's scared out of his wits. _I thought to myself as I watched him take a shaky drink of the still too hot coffee. His knee was bouncing frantically, a nervous habit we shared, and I couldn't stand the tension anymore. I placed my hand on his knee, breaking him out of his nervous trance as he looked me in the eyes before quickly submitting again. I sighed, we weren't going to get anywhere like this. "Noah" I said evenly "Noah look at me." He did as I ordered and looked at me again, fear etched onto his face. "Honey you're making me nervous. Calm down and talk to me, you know you can tell me anything." I coaxed as I watched him try to form the right words. I waited patiently as he took a shaky breath in and began.

"Emily I think I fucked up. Like, really fucked up." I studied him for a minute, Noah was a great kid so I was sure whatever it was he was probably just blowing it up in his own mind. I gestured for him to go on. "I've been seeing this girl for a while, I really like her a lot. I think I might even love her, but-" he paused to take another swig of his coffee. "Emily I think someone is following her. A mutt, I've smelled him a few times but I never actually see him. It's always the same one, but I've never met him to place his smell. I know we aren't supposed to get attached to humans, especially after what happened to yo-" he cut himself off and flinched. I know what he was saying, especially after what happened to me. I smiled at him and put my hand on his arm, rubbing soothing circles as he tried to finish. "I have to keep her safe." He said as he balled his fist up. I understood the need to protect ones mate as much as any werewolf, but Noah wasn't a fighter. "Noah? What's going on?" My own concern welling in my heart for my little brother. "Noah?" He took a deep breath before he looked at me again.

"I got her pregnant Emily. I'm going to be a father. I can't tell Reese or Noah because they'll make me go straight to Jeremy and I can't take the baby away from her if it's a boy. I just can't. But I can't leave her alone and without any protection either, the moment a mutt finds out she's carrying a future pack member she has a target painted on her back. I need your help, please can you help me?" He pleaded with me. I took my little brother into my arms and held him as he finally broke down and told me all of the things he's been keeping in. I agreed to help him on the condition that if Reese or our Alpha specifically asked me about the baby I wouldn't lie to them. He accepted that and asked me if I would like to meet her. He hoped if I could pick up on the smell we could figure out who the mutt was. I agreed and we left the coffee shop.


	9. Chapter 9

(Emily POV)

It had been three days since I'd had my talk with Noah, and I couldn't stop thinking about his situation. I was so worried for my little brother I felt like I was in a trance. I'd gone with him to meet his girlfriend, Tara, and try to pick up on the scent of the rouge wolf. I could see why Noah was drawn to her, she was beautiful and kind. She had a warm sense of humor, and an innocence about her that reminded me so much of myself before I was bitten. They'd shown me sonogram pictures from their first doctors appointment and told me that the baby was due at the end of the year. I could tell they were both scared out of their minds at the thought of being parents, but both had resolved to keep the child and raise it in a loving home. I knew why Noah was so adamant about being a good father, from the stories I'd heard his real father was a piece of work. But they were both so young, at just 19 they had no idea how to take care of themselves much less an innocent child. I knew the moment Noah told me about the baby I couldn't refuse to help him, maybe in a sense I felt it would be some sort of redemption for what I had done. I added that to my growing list of concerns about the situation. I didn't have the heart to tell Noah that I recognized the scent well. My heart going into overdrive the second I picked it up. It was _him. _I growled lowly at the thought and tried to pull myself back to reality, finals were quickly approaching and I couldn't afford to flunk another semester.

I tried to get back to studying but I couldn't force my mind to think about anything else. He was close. _Too close. _And now he was coming for my family, for my brother and his mate. _He's coming for more innocents _my wolf chimed in. I couldn't let that happen, I need to end this before it begins. I let out another small growl and slammed my computer shut, a bit too hard, causing Reese to look up at me from his perch beside Noah on the couch. He eyed me quizzically as I hopped up and mumbled off an indecipherable explanation about burnout. I felt like my senses were on constant alert, my stomach flipping and twisting with every waking even Reese's scent was enough to calm me into a restful sleep last night. I started toward the kitchen for a snack and then thought better of it, I needed to be strong to help my brother. I turned and headed to the stairs to go down to the training room. If I didn't get some of this pent up energy out I knew I was going to force a change, and I didn't want to do that with our pack run scheduled for tomorrow evening. I was getting much better at changing at Will, but I still have a long way to go.

I shoved the heavy doors to the training room open and flipped on the lights. Taking a deep breath I walked forward to one of the punching bags and I let all of my emotions fly into it. Picturing the bag as the mutt I felt the fury rise inside of me. _Hit. Kick. Hit. Hit_. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't even hear anyone come into the room. I felt a hand on my shoulder and before I had time to register who it belonged to I turned around and threw a punch. It hit its mark with a satisfying smack. I whirled around and gasped at the sight of Reese standing there staring at me with wide eyes, a small trickle of blood coming from his lip. We stood frozen in place for a moment before he broke out in a huge grin. "Damn girl, remind me not to sneak up on you when you're in your zone. You've been pulling your punches during training." He teased as he wiped the blood off his lip. I was still frozen in place, I couldn't believe I had just hurt Reese. He was right, I had been pulling my punches, but so had he. It's why I asked Clay to help me train on the weekends. I could never hurt Reese and we both knew it, even though I'm pretty sure I could give it my all and he wouldn't be hurt. I felt heat creep into my cheeks as I quickly looked up at him, and submitted to his wolf. He growled as he stepped toward me, pulling me into his arms. "Don't do that again. We are equals Emily, I'm not upset about you hitting me but I will be if you submit to me again." He reassured me as I buried my face into his warm chest. I took a deep breath and allowed the scent of my mate calm my racing thoughts before I pulled away.

"What's going on with you? For the last few days it's like your mind has been a million miles away, you're jumpy and you aren't sleeping. Don't even get me started on the fact that you've barely touched a decent amount of food." He chided at me. I didn't want to lie to my mate, so I settled on a half truth at the time. My word was my bond and I'd given Noah my word to keep his secret, even if I wanted nothing more than to tell my mate everything. "I've just been thinking, when they come back I want to be ready. They're going to come back, we all know it, we just don't know when." I said lowly before I turned to walk toward the couch on the far side of the room. Reese grabbed my hand tightly and tugged me back to face him. "Emily when that time comes you won't be anywhere near those fucking bastards" he growled. We'd talked about this until we were blue in our faces. He said I would distract him from getting revenge on the mutt who bit me if I was there. I argued that I didn't need anyone to defend my honor and I thought I had more than earned the right to rip him to shreds myself. I sighed, not willing or able to have that conversation again.

Once he saw my resignation from the argument he took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him for a deep kiss. I returned it eagerly, if anything could make me forget my problems for just a little while this was it. I smiled into our kiss when he picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He trudged forward and laid me down on the couch softly. Easing my mind the very best way he knew how.

. . . . . .

(Reese POV)

Something was wrong with Emily. I've known for the last few days that something was up but I couldn't put my finger on it. She's been going about her day completely lost to her thoughts, eating barely enough food not to raise questions, even when I pulled her into my chest at night she was still restless. Noah wasn't much better, I know something is going on that involves both of them. I was sitting on the couch with Noah watching a movie while Emily sat in a chair by the door studying for her finals. Every time I glanced over at her in the last hour she was looking at a small notch on the hardwood floor, lost in her thoughts. I tried to chalk it up to studying stress. She's been putting so much pressure on herself to get back into the swing of college, but Antonio and Jeremy didn't feel that she was ready or safe enough to go back to traditional classes. I was deep in thought about what could be troubling my mate when I heard her growl softly, then she slammed her computer shut and hopped up. I met her eyes for a moment before she quickly looked away and murmured something about a burnout, whatever that means. I turned to Noah after she left "Hey mate, you wouldn't know what's bothering Emily would you?" I heard his heartbeat pick up slightly. He glanced around to the doorway she had just walked out and for a moment thought about jumping up to leave the room too before he thought better of it and settled back into the couch. "Nah dude, she's probably just stressed out about finals and stuff. You know she taking freakishly hard classes. I tried helping her one day and I was lost before we got through the first chapter. I think I'm going to go shower up before dinner." He said before leaping off the couch and all but running to the stairs. He had skirted around the question. _Interesting. Whatever's going on has something to do with both of them. _My wolf grumbled with jealousy before I batted away the thought. I trust my brother and my mate, whatever's going on has nothing to do with anything like that. But why would they have a secret they felt like they couldn't tell me?

I decided question Noah was out so I headed into the hallway to find Emily. I followed her scent toward the kitchen but her track stopped just short of the doorway, I sniffed around a bit before I found it again on the stairs heading down to the training room. I walked quietly down and peered through the crack in the training room door. My tiny wolf was inside, releasing a flurry of hits on the punching bag. Her wolf was out in full view, she was lost to her thoughts again. I stepped inside and made my way over to her. I placed a hand on her shoulder and felt her tense up. Just as I was about to take a step back she twirled around with speed I had never seen from her before and she punched me square in the mouth. _Damn. Our mate can throw a punch. _I stood in shock as she turned around, her eyes going wide when she realized what she had done. "Damn girl, remind me not to sneak up on you when you're in your zone. You've been pulling your punches during training."I grinned at her, trying to lighten the mood. I could see shock written all over her face as she stared at the ground. She looked up to meet my eyes, then she submitted to me. I growled as I stepped forward to pull her into me. She shouldn't be submitting to me, she is my mate which makes us equal. Two sides of the same coin as Elena had put it once. I tried to reassure her that I wasn't upset with her as she snuggled her face into my chest and inhaled deeply. I smiled knowing she was using my scent to calm her nerves.

I tried getting her to tell me what was wrong, pointing out all of the things I've noticed going on with her over the last few days. I saw her waging a war inside her head, I knew there was something she wanted to share with me desperately but she just couldn't make it come out. This only worried my wolf even more, this was bigger than I first thought. Something is wrong, my wolf knows it. She told me that she wanted to be ready when the mutt who hurt her came back and I inwardly groaned. How many times we've had this conversation in the past few weeks. There's no way in hell I'll let my mate anywhere near those sick fucks. They hurt her in the worst of ways and I had already gotten permission from Jeremy to be the one to end them when the time came. She sighed in resignation, I could see that she mentally wasn't able to have that argument right now. My wolf wined at me to make our mate feel better. I pulled her by her hand and leaned down to kiss her. She stood on her top toes to return it, smiling into our kiss when I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I carried her over to the couch on the side of the room and helping her forget the best way I know how.


	10. Chapter 10

(Emily POV)

_I was sitting in a field surrounded by wildflowers. The sun was streaming down in warm rays onto my skin, a fresh breeze billowing through my hair. I smiled to myself as I looked around the tranquil scene. I laid down on my back in the field, closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, expecting to be greeted with the smell of the flowers. Instead the smell of death and rotting flesh creeped into my nose. I sat straight up looking around to find the smell when I realized that I was no longer in the field. I was in a dirty and dark warehouse. I stood up quickly and tried to get my bearings. I spun around at the sound of a baby crying in the distance. I followed the sound to a door, as I pushed it open my foot slipped and I fell onto the floor. I looked down to realize I was laying in a puddle of blood. I tried to scramble up to my feet but couldn't gain any footing on the slippery floor. The babies cries became frantic as I started to crawl into the room, my brain pushing me to get to the sound. I entered the room and looked around for the baby, only to be greeted by a grizzly sight. The whole pack was laying in the room, torn to shreds, the life drained out of every face I saw. Suddenly the babies cries stopped and I whirled around at the feeling of hot breath on my neck. I felt hands wrap around my throat as a gurgled scream escaped my lips. I looked up to see my attacker, but there was no one there. I struggled to gain the feeling of air in my lungs as the word started to spin. I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness as the babies cries started again, frantic and gurgled. Just before everything went black I saw him, the one who had caused so much pain in my life. He was holding a small blue blanket, smiling menacingly at me. _

I jumped awake and gasped for air. Warm sunlight was steaming through my windows. _It was just a dream. _I blew out a sigh of relief as I turned to look at the time. _10:30 am. _Who had turned my alarm off? It was my turn to make breakfast and I know for a fact I set an alarm for 6am before I went to bed last night. I sniffed the air tentatively as I sat up to untangle myself from my covers. Reese's scent was at least a few hours old, he must have been the one who turned off my alarm. I sighed as I heaved my legs over the edge of the bed and walked into my closet to grab some clothes for the day. Once I was dressed I walked into the bathroom and quickly scrubbed my face before putting on a small bit of makeup. The smell of food wafted up from downstairs and my stomach grumbled loudly. I rolled my eyes and smiled, Reese must have decided to make breakfast this morning. I froze when I got to the hallway. Delicate flower petals were strewn around the floor, making a trail down the stairs. I cocked my head to the side in confusion as I followed them down the stairs, through the kitchen. The trail ended at the back door. _This is odd, am I still dreaming? _I thought to myself as I quietly opened the door. When I stepped out I was greeted by unseasonably warm air. I shivered a bit as the warmth from the sun hit my skin.

I looked around and my jaw dropped when my eyes landed on a beautiful setup. On the side of the patio there was a large table with ornate chairs placed around. A crisp white tablecloth fluttered with the light breeze whipping through the yard. There were bunches of flowers surrounding the table, with the same beautiful petals from the hallway scattered around the top of the table. It was piled high with my favorite foods. Ham, bacon, eggs, hash browns, sausage; it was a smorgasbord. I was breathless taking in the beautiful scene in front of me. I walked over to the table and smiled as I reached out to touch the beautiful flowers in the middle of the table. _What's going on? _I pondered as I walked around. I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard the back door open and everyone stepped out. Antonio was carrying crepes and berries, Nick had a large pot of coffee and creamer, Noah was carrying a fresh stack of pancakes, and Reese had another large bouquet of flowers that matched the one on the table. They walked toward me, grins on all of their faces.

"Okay" I giggled "Can someone please tell me what's going on? What is all of this? It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." I questioned as Reese reached out to pull me into his arms while everyone else sat at the table. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" Reese whispered into my hair as he wrapped his arms around me. Nick cleared his throat behind us, I turned to look at him with confusion written all over my face. His grin widened as he realized I had no idea what was going on. "Do you know what today is?" He asked cheekily. I shook my head no as I scooted my chair up to the table. Antonio chuckled softly as his twinkling eyes met mine. He and Nick shared a similar look of amusement, it seemed like they were waiting for me to realize something. "Uh I mean it's Saturday? Is it like the first day of spring or something?" I was utterly confused by now, I have no clue why everyone was in such a good mood or why they'd obviously gone out of their way to surprise me with breakfast. The table was quiet for a moment before Nick couldn't contain his excitement anymore. "Happy birthday!" He beamed at me as realization dawned all over my face. _Oh my god, I've been caught up with studying and so preoccupied with helping Noah I didn't even realize it was today. _

I looked around at the smiling faces around me and felt a blush creep into my cheeks. They had gone through so much trouble just to make me feel special on my birthday. I'd been dreading this day ever since I lost my parents. Being an only child I'd just assumed that this would be my first birthday spent all alone. Looking around the table I realized that this was my family now, and that I would never spend a birthday alone. I couldn't help the quiet tears that started to fall down my face. Nick and Noah immediately looked concerned at the sight of my tears, but Antonio and Reese just gave me knowing looks. I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath, if I know anything it's that my parents wouldn't want me to spend the day crying. "Thank you. This is all so beautiful, you've all gone to so much trouble just to make me feel special." I paused before adding "I love you guys so much." Everyone returned my sentiments before we started dishing out the buffet of foods around us. We spent the morning laughing and talking, enjoying the beauty of the day around us.

I tried to help with cleanup when we were all done, but I was shooed out of the kitchen before I could pick up a single dish. I can't believe I'd forgotten my birthday, all I was worried about all week was passing my finals. _Speaking of, I bet my grades are posted_. I ran upstairs into my room and pulled my laptop onto the bed. My fingers shook as I logged into my account and waited for the grades to load. It seemed like it took forever, but finally they popped up. I couldn't believe it, I'd nearly aced all of the tests. "Well what's the verdict?" I heard from the doorway. I looked up to see Reese leaning on the door frame watching me. I waved him over in mock sadness and his face fell a bit. He knew how hard I had worked to get back on track, and had been trying to help me as much as he could between work and his own classes. He stepped around to the side of the bed as I slowly turned the screen toward him. He studied it for a minute before he looked back up at me with a goofy grin on his face. He pushed the computer to the side and grabbed me into a bone crushing hug. "I can't tell you how proud I am of you love." He muttered into my neck while placing feathery kisses all over it. "You're brilliant."

I tried to reciprocate the kisses but Reese shook his head at me and grinned "As much as I would love to keep you locked in this room all day, we have some things to do. But don't worry" he winked "I have something special planned for you tonight." With that he pulled me up off the bed and turned me around so I was facing away from him. I jumped when something silky went over my eyes, blocking my view of everything. He carefully tied it around the back of my head before I felt myself being scooped off the ground. I giggled as I felt us start to descend the stairs and begged him to tell me where we were going. I tried to wriggle out of his arms, to which he responded by acting like he was going to drop me, causing a fit of laughter to roll from me. Finally, after I'm sure he walked into random rooms and then back out to throw me off, my feet were gently placed onto the floor.

I fidgeted around as I heard footsteps coming into the room we were in, asking if I could please take the blindfold off now. I heard Nick chuckle from behind me as he reached out to grab both sides of my waist. He guided me forward and to the left. I couldn't help but break out in a smile, of course Nick would have some sneaky surprise planned. He told me to stand still as I heard him walk a few steps away, followed by the sound of fabric rustling. I felt hands reach around to untie my blindfold, a small sniff told me it was Antonio. As the blindfold fell I blinked slowly a few times to adjust my eyes. My jaw dropped at the sight in front of me. Nick stood a few feet in front of me, beaming with happiness. Beside him was a car. No not a car. _The _car, the one I had told him about in our little "game" a few months ago.

I was speechless as I slowly made my way to the breathtaking car in front of me. I don't even understand how it was here, it wasn't even technically for sale yet. I tentatively reached a shaking hand out to touch it, almost afraid it would disappear. It was my _dream _car. A brand new BMW concept 4 in forbidden red. It was sleek and shiny, the flawless paint job reflecting off of every light in the garage. Topped of course with a huge sparkling silver bow. The car I told myself I would buy when I was finished with school and could actually afford to buy something like that. I spun around to see Nick watching me, barely able to contain his excitement. "Nick" I said as I shook my head. "Nick, how? Why? I- I can't accept this. This is way too much, I wouldn't feel right about taking something like this from you." A fresh stream of tears flowed from my eyes as I tried to grasp why he would do something like this for me.

Nick stepped forward and wrapped me in a bear hug. "Emily, if you only knew how much joy you've brought into our lives you would understand. You've completely changed things for the better just by being you. The car is from me and dad, you are our family now and I couldn't think of anything better to get you to show you just what you mean to us. So-" he jingled the keys in his hand "how about we try this bad boy out?" I couldn't stop the smile that spread over my face as I took the keys in my hand and opened the door. The car roared to life and a squeal flew out of my mouth as I revved the engine. Nick hopped into the passenger seat beside me as the garage door started to open. "Let's see what she's got"

He grinned. I didn't need anymore persuading, with a quick glance over at Reese who winked and waved, I pressed on the gas and we were off. I had to be dreaming, this was quickly turning into the best day of my life.

By the time we made it back from our drive it was a little past lunchtime. I have no idea how far we drove, but eventually we made it back to the house. I noticed a few new cars in the driveway when we pulled into the garage. Before we walked inside I gave Nick another hug and he kissed the top of my head. He grabbed my hand and led me into the house. I was tackled the minute the door closed behind me by two giggling pups. "Emmy! Happy birthday! Can you take us for ice cream in your new car soon?" Kate questioned through her giggles as I lifted her up and tickled her belly. "Happy birthday Emily" followed by a very grown up sounding Logan. I thanked him as I ruffled his hair, earning a Clay worthy glare from the young boy. I continued on into the living room to see everyone was here. Jeremy was sitting in a chair by the window talking to Antonio, Elena and Clay we're snuggled up on the couch watching tv, I could hear the faint sound of bickering and gunfire coming from the game room where Noah and Reese were undoubtedly playing on the Xbox. I was greeted with a flurry of hellos and happy birthdays as I made my way to an empty chair in the corner of the room. "Now mommy?" Kate asked as she tugged on Elenas sleeve. She nodded and got up following her daughter into the kitchen with a sneaky smile. I was lost in my own little world when they came back in with a beautiful cake, decorated with lilac purple icing, cream colored flowers and a hoard of sparkling candles. Nick must have slipped out of the room during all of the commotion, because he came back in with Noah and Reese on his heels. Clay jumped up and grabbed a small table to sit in front of me as everyone made their way around me. They sang happy birthday and the kids both cheered when I blew out my candles.

Once the cake was done, which was delicious I must add, I was informed it was time for presents. I wasn't sure how to feel about all of the attention, and I smiled nervously as I watched them pile up in front of me. Kate insisted her present be the first. I opened the bubblegum pink wrapping paper to reveal a beautiful glass jewelry box embellished with sparkling diamonds. Next game Logan who handed me a green package containing everything I might ever need for my car including jumper cables and flares. _Of course he would be a practical gift giver, _I smiled to myself. Next was Noah, who blushed when he handed me a small silver package. Inside was a charm bracelet with a beautiful wooden brown wolf charm "I made it myself, sorry if it's stupid I'm not good at gifts" he said lowly. I hugged him and had him help me put it on, my little brother was so kind. Elena and Clays gift was next, it was an all inclusive trip for two to the Bahamas, good for a year whenever I wanted to take it. I looked up confused and Clay gave me a small smile "You're ready" he said matter of factly. I beamed at the compliment from the grumpy wolf and thanked them for the generous gift. Reese stepped up and reminded me that his gift would come later, followed by Jeremy who told me he had two gifts for me. He left and returned a few minutes later with a large box wrapped in red paper. I gasped as I opened it and saw all of the medical equipment I could ever need, stethoscope, blood pressure cuffs, suture kits, trauma kits. He told me he intends for me to step into the role of the pack doctor once I get far enough in my schooling. I profusely thanked him and felt tears pricking at my eyes again. For his second gift Jeremy placed a very large, very heavy, book on my lap. I looked at him confused as he he explained this was the entire lineage of the North American Pack. He flipped through the pages until he stopped on the last page that had been written in. I saw the names of everyone in the pack, traced back to either their wolf heritage or stood alone if they were bitten. I skimmed the page before my eyes landed on my name 'Emily Richardson' with a thin gold line connecting my name to Reese.

This was my official notice that I was a recognized member of the pack, and that Reese was my mate. They had accepted me fully into this amazing family. I knew what my place in the pack would be. I didn't hesitate when I hopped off the chair and wrapped my arms around Jeremys neck. He stiffened for a moment at the sudden burst of movement before he gently hugged me back. I stepped back and blushed "sorry" I muttered. He simply smiled at me and reassured me it was okay. In an instant hands grabbed both of my arms, dragging me toward the stairs. I looked confusingly between Nick and Elena as they led me up the stairs. "It's your 21st birthday Emily" Elena smiled, "I've made reservations at my club tonight. Now we're going to help you get ready" Nick finished for Elena as they led me into my room. I could see bags of new clothes and shoes on my bed, but I was whisked away before I could look at them and led into the bathroom where a bath full of flowers awaited me. Everything was going so well today, too well. I couldn't shake the sinking feeling in my stomach that something was going to go wrong, I just wish I knew what.


	11. Chapter 11

(Reese POV)

We had all worked so hard to make her day special for her. It was all immediately worth it when we stepped outside on the patio this morning and I saw the look on her face. She looked gorgeous standing there surrounded by the flowers we'd had delivered this morning. The sunlight was hitting her hair making it glint with streaks of golden brown, _god our mate is beautiful. _ I couldn't believe she forgot it was her birthday, well actually I could. She had been so wrapped up in school and whatever was going on with Noah that she barely paid attention to the day of the week, much less the date. When it was time for Nick to unveil her big present I wasn't surprised that she tried to refuse it. That's just who she is, she's so grateful for everything she has and she doesn't like the thought of someone spending loads of money on her. Another thing on the long list of reasons why I love her. Most girls would have hopped in and muttered a thank you, but she was literally moved to tears. I wanted to go with her when she left to take it for a spin, but I had some other very important plans to nail down. I smiled and waved as she sped out of the garage and headed into the house.

"You nervous?" Noah asked as he came to sit beside me in my room. I'd been twirling the tiny blue box around in my hands all morning. I'm not usually the one for nerves, but man was I _nervous._ I wanted tonight to be perfect. Emily is the best thing that ever happened to me. Now that she was in my life nothing else mattered but her. The love I thought I felt for Danielle paled in comparison. The two were polar opposites and I found myself silently thanking the universe for mating me to Emily every day. "Actually, yeah." I breathed shakily as I ran my hand through my hair. "What if she says no?" I'd been playing that scenario over and over in my head since I bought the ring last week. "You're kidding right?" Noah asked sarcastically "Reese she's crazy in love with you. She's your mate, not just your wolfs mate but your soul mate. You two are the perfect pair, you complete each other in ways neither of you can even see." My brother reassured me as he patted me on the back. "Come on then, we all know the plan. You've gone over it a hundred times. Let's go play a video game to get your mind distracted." I placed the box back inside the pocket of my jacket and followed Noah to the game room.

My anxiety level rose with every hour that ticked by. It was around 10pm when I finally heard Nicks footsteps stampede down the stairs. He sent a questioning look my way asking if they'd given us enough time to get the guest house on the edge of the property ready for tonight. I nodded and he told us to grab our things. We were leaving in 5 minutes. _Here we go. _Elena came down the stairs first, dressed in a flattering blue dress that made her look ethereal as she descended the stairs. She and Clay would be joining us tonight while Antonio and Jeremy kept the twins back at Stonehaven. Clay growled lowly from beside me and walked forward to help her down the stairs. Nick came next, dressed to the nines looking more like he was going out to a red carpet event and less like he was going clubbing. He gave me a thumbs up as he walked down the stairs. Elena came to stand beside me and lowly whispered "She's about to knock your socks off sweetie." With a sweet smile. I heard the faint _click click _of her heels as she made her way to the stairs. _Holy fucking shit. _She started down the stairs looking like she was cut out of a magazine. Her usual casual and sweet look had been replaced tonight. She looked sexy as hell in her tight fitting dark grey sequin dress. Her skin was tanned and glowing. Her legs looked much longer than usual with her sky high strappy black heels. Her hair was in its usual curl, but it had been perfectly styled into a braid on one side of her head while it hung loose to the other, cascading down to the middle of her back in perfection. Her makeup was still light but the Smokey grey shadow on her eyes and the maroon color on her pouty lips made her ooze sex appeal. I was speechless.

(Emily POV)

The trip to Nicks club went by in a flash and before I knew it we were being ushered into a vip entrance on the side of the building. The club was already packed with people by the time we got there. Nick led us to a roped off area in the balcony where a table was already set up and waiting for us. Reese walked beside me with his arm around my hip, glaring at every man who stopped to ogle at us as we made our way over to our seats. Just as I sat down a shot appeared in front of my face. I looked up to see Clay standing there holding it out to me with a smile that I'd only ever seen him give Nick and Elena. "Happy Birthday" he said as I took the shot. I glanced around to see everyone watching me, waiting for me to down the drink. I smiled and slung it back before slamming the glass back onto the table. Cheers erupted around the table. And so our night began.

Two hours later found us all fairly drunk off our asses. I noticed about 30 minutes after we'd arrived that the DJ was playing all of my favorite songs. Nick took my hand and pulled me out to the dance floor, earning a growl from Reese. _Men _I sighed as we made our way to the middle of the floor. I must admit, Nick was a great dancer. Anyone else who saw us on the dance floor would probably assume we were a couple. I laughed at the thought. I was feeling fantastic and I didn't care what anyone thought. Hands reached out to grab my waist and pull me away from Nick. As I spun around Reese pulled me into him and started running his hands up and down my body. "You don't have to dance if you don't want to baby" I slurred into his ear. He wasn't a dancer like me or Nick. "Are you kidding? Not a chance in hell I'm missing out on dancing with the sexiest girl in the room" he whispered back, nipping on my ear. He smiled as I shivered at the feeling and pulled me closer, if that was even possible. "You know for you not to dance very much, you sure are good at it" I giggled as he spun me around. "Oh I'm _very talented." _He quipped back making me shiver with delight.

Finally at around 1 in the morning we were all danced out. Nick had arranged a car to take us all back to the house. I was sitting in the back of the large SUV enjoying the feeling of Reese nibbling on my neck when I had a random burst of excitement. "Oh my god! I know what I _need _right now" I squealed a bit too loud. I looked up to see Noah had passed out with his head on the window, Clay scanning the area around the car keeping diligent watch over all of us, and Elena tangled up with Nick making out. Clay didn't seem to mind when they did things like this, they'd all been together much longer than the younger generation had and it was just their pack bond, I still thought it was a little weird. Everyone jumped with my outburst. "What's that gorgeous?" Nick questioned. "_Pizza." _I said a bit quieter. The whole car ignited with excitement about my idea and before I knew it we were on our way back home with 10 pizzas floating around the car. _Drunk pizza, I've got to do this again_ I made a mental note as we pulled into the driveway.

We all piled out of the car and I started to make my way to the front door when Reese caught my hand. He put his finger up to his lips and motioned for me to follow him as everyone walked ahead of us in the door. He led me to the edge of the woods and stopped looking down at my feet. "I don't think you're going to make it very far in those" he teased. I bent down and unstrapped the shoes, relishing the feeling of the grass on my feet. I was back to being much shorter than Reese, but I don't think either of us minded that too much. He growled as he looked me up and down, undressing me with his eyes. I felt my heart flutter at the way he studied my body. He bent down and scooped me up in one swift movement like I was a feather. Planting small kisses on my neck and face as we made our way through the woods. The effects of the alcohol were almost completely worn off, another perk of being a werewolf I guessed. We stopped in front of the guest house and he gently sat me back on my feet before leading me inside. My breath hitches in my throat as I walked around the room. Candles were placed in random places around the room, flower petals covered the entire floor. In the center of the room there was a small table with a letter. I looked over at Reese as he motioned me to go read it. I picked up the letter with shaking hands and began to read:

_My beautiful Emily, _

_I've spent my entire life not believing in fate. My life before I came to the states was filled with loss and heartache that I thought had shaped me forever. Then one night I was persuaded to go out to a club with the guys. I grudgingly agreed, not having any idea it would be the night my life changed forever. I was having a miserable time until I noticed this tiny brunette walk in the door. I was captivated by your beauty, but my heart was still guarded and I wasn't looking to jump into another relationship that would leave me broken. The whole night my eyes kept finding you, I was enchanted by you. The moment I saw that you might be in trouble I couldn't stop my feet from moving me forward to you. I was nervous when you asked me to come into your apartment, afraid you were just another tipsy girl looking for a good time. You surprised me that night, you showed me nothing but kindness and friendship. Something I didn't realize I was missing. I've never spent the whole night talking and laughing with anyone, much less someone I just met. But you make it easy to open up. When you kissed me as I left I was in shock. The moment your lips touched mine I knew that I was hooked on you. As the days went on and I got to know you I fell in love with everything about you. Your smile, your laugh, your compassion. I loved the way you were so genuine in the way you spoke, and your passion about the things you valued. You never pushed me past where I was comfortable, you never asked me to be more than I was capable._

_When you went missing my world fell apart. I stopped sleeping and eating and I refused to believe that you were gone. I searched for you for months, until one day fate brought us back together. It was that moment that I knew my life could never go on without you in it. I promised myself to keep you safe for the rest of my days, and to do everything in my power to give you the life you deserve. Your tenacity and love of life brought joy back to not just me, but everyone here. You're the very best part of me, you're the reason why I now believe in fate and love. My only wish is that you allow me the honor of spending every day of the rest of my life showing you how amazing you are to me. I want to grow old with you, have a family with you, build a beautiful forever with you. So with that, I ask you to turn around. _

I was crying so hard I could barely finish the letter. With shaking hands and sweating palms I slowly turned around to see the love of my life kneeling in front of me. I could smell his nervousness washing off him in waves. He reached out to take my hand and cleared his throat. "Emily, I love you more than I've ever loved anything or anyone in my existence. You make me the best version of myself and I never want to spend a day without you in it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny blue box. His hands were shaking as he popped open the lid to reveal a beautiful rose gold ring. There was a large rose gold stone in the middle, lined on both sides with smaller rose gold diamonds. It was my dream engagement ring. _Nick _I quickly thought when I saw it. I'd shown him a picture of it the night I told him about the car. My heart was beating out of my chest as my mate asked me one of the single most important questions I've ever been asked in my life. "Emily, would you make me the luckiest man in the world and be my wife?"


	12. Chapter 12

(Emily POV)

"Emily, would you make me the luckiest man in the world and be my wife?"

I took in the sight of my mate, kneeling on one knee. A mix of fear and hope drawn all over his face. I stole a quick glance around the room, he had put so much thought into this moment just for me. He loves me more than I deserve, and I love him with everything I have. He was frozen in place waiting for my answer, waiting for me to either make his day or break his heart. I know how big of a step this was to him, I know what he's been through. My breathing hitched in my throat as tears slid down my face. _I love this man. _I've loved him for what feels like a lifetime. I tried to speak but the words came out as more of a choked sob than words, so I nodded my head.

"Yes?" He whispered as he let out a shaking breath. "Yes. Yes baby. A million times yes." I could see the relief flood his handsome features as he took my quivering hand in his. He took the ring from the box and delicately placed it on my left hand. The cool metal slid down my finger and sat perfectly on my small hand, glistening in the candlelight. He jumped up to capture me in an earth shattering kiss, leaving both of us breathless by the time we pulled away. Suddenly slow music filled the room as he pulled me into his waiting arms, slowly guiding us around into circles. I'll take dancing with my future husband like this over anything. I snuggled my face into his chest as we twirled around the room. I want to remember this moment with him, capture it in my memory to have forever. As the music slowly faded away I leaned out to look at my mate. His twinkling eyes met mine as he bent down for a sweet slow kiss.

"We're getting married." I breathed into the kiss. He paused to look me over and shook his head, a huge grin on his face. "My god I'm the luckiest man in the world." He pulled me in for another kiss, this one more urgent, filled with passion. I returned it eagerly as he picked me up and led us to the bedroom on the far side of the room. I fell onto the bed with an _oof _as a spray of flower petals flew around us. I looked around the room to see he had decorated in here as well, the room littered with flowers and candles. I looked up at my fiancée to find him studying me in the candlelight. I sat up and grabbed him by the waist and pulled him down on top of me. We spent the night making slow sweet love, unlike any that we'd ever had before. It was literally the most magical night of my life.

I sat straight upright in the bed at the sound of a wolf howl, Reese jumping up beside me. I glanced at the clock to see it was 5:30 am, I can't think of any reason why someone in the pack would be out calling us at this time of the morning. Another howl shot through the quiet of the morning, closer to the guest house than the first. Without a word we were both out of bed and rushing to throw our clothes on. Whoever this was on the property wasn't Pack. The next howl sent shivers down my spine, it was right outside the house. Reese was at my side in a minute, pulling me back into the bedroom and closing the door. He looked at me and placed a finger to his lips, motioning me to go into the bathroom. I quietly stepped in as he closed the door.

"I want you to stay here, don't move and stay quiet. Okay?" Reese wasn't in lover mode anymore. The look on his face was murderous and I knew this was the side of him that has been in training to become pack enforcer. Clay had been showing him everything he knew, and he was one of the best fighters in the pack, but Reese wasn't ready yet. I tried to argue with him but the look he shot me shut me up pretty fast. He kissed me hard before he walked back out of the bathroom and shut the door quietly behind him. Bile rose in my throat as I heard another unknown howl ring out, this one different than the first. One on one I had no doubt Reese could handle the situation, but one against two- I'm not confident in those numbers. Mutts rarely fight fair. Without thinking I unzipped the back of my dress and stepped out of it. I quietly turned the handle and opened the bathroom door just a crack. I held my breath and listened but there was no sound coming from the house, Reese must have gone outside. I gingerly laid my engagement ring on the sink. My stomach rolled with dread as I crouched down onto the floor on all fours. I calmed my breathing and focused on getting to my mate.

The process was excruciating as each bone popped and snapped into place, but I focused on staying quiet. I urged my wolf to hurry, but I still felt like it was taking forever. Once I was finished I laid on the cold tile floor panting for a moment before I heaved myself up onto my feet. Letting my wolf take over as I urged her to get to our mate. I used my snout to slowly open the door and sniffed the air as I made my way out of the bathroom. I crept through the shadows of the now dark house, all of the candles burned out from the night before. I hopped up to place my front paws on the windowsill and peered around the yard, allowing my photoreceptors time to adjust to the lack of light of early morning. I saw a flash of movement on the side of the house as Reese came flying past the window. I growled lowly as I watched an unknown mutt step out of the shadows and advance on my mate. They were evenly matched in size and skill. I wanted nothing more than to go to him and pull the mutt off, but Pack law prevented me from intervening unless Reese was in danger.

I watched the two men throwing punches and kicks with pinpoint precision. Anticipation gnawing at my insides. They went on for a few minutes before a small movement caught my eye from the edge of the woods behind them. A stocky black wolf sauntered forward from the tree line with his teeth barred. In the seconds it took for the wolf to get out into the open, my wolf decided that was too close to our mate. I took a few steps back and took a running leap at the window, wincing as I felt my body soaring through the glass. I bursted out of the window, coming to rest on my paws just in front of the black wolf. He towered over me much like any other wolf I had met, but I refused to back down. A deep warning growl came from my throat and I saw Reese steal a glance at me before he turned back to deliver a punishing blow to the other mutt.

The black wolf looked at me and growled, sinking lower to the floor in a pouncing stance. I refused to back down, planting my paws firmly on the dirt and lowering my head with a final warning growl. I surprised myself with the sound, it was menacing and viscous. The black wolf eyed me amusingly, taunting me to make the first move. I stole a quick sniff to the air and almost winced at the smell. It was _him. _I knew he was coming for me. He seemed to assess the situation before lunging forward with a powerful snap of his teeth. I danced out of the way just as he turned and took off full speed into the mass of forest he had just come from. The human part of my brain told me to stay put with Reese, but my wolf refused to back down from the chase. I let out a loud howl to let the others in the main house know we needed help, and took off. I could hear Reese yelling for me to come back, but I couldn't stop my feet from moving me forward.

I ran deeper and deeper into the woods trying to find the wolf, stopping every so often to pick back up on his trail. I heard rustling coming from somewhere to my right, I spun around just as the black wolf bounded out from a bush and tackled me to the ground. We clashed with each other in a flash of snapping teeth and ripping claws. After a few minutes I finally saw the opening I needed and rushed forward to clamp my teeth down on his neck. He jerked out of the way in the last second, dipping his head down just before I made contact, causing my teeth to catch on the sensitive skin over his eye. I sank in and raked my teeth down his face. He yelped and ran backwards, retreating into the forest.

Just as I was about to follow I heard a scream ring through the air. _Reese. _I turned and bolted back toward the guest house, desperate to get back to my mate. As I came crashing out of the woods I could see the mutt he had been fighting had him in a headlock, seconds away from breaking his neck. Both men bloody and bruised from their fight. At seeing my mate in peril I shut off all parts of my human brain and allowed my wolf complete control. I lunged forward with a ferocious growl, grabbing the man by the arm. His grip on Reese loosened as he spun around trying to knock me off him. I watched my mate hit the ground hard, but I couldn't stop to check on him now. I let go of the mans arm and circled him slowly, growling and snapping. I could smell his fear seeping into the air. He glanced over his shoulder looking for an escape. He faked to the left and bolted to the right in an attempt to .

I waited until he was a few feet away before I took off at a dead run. Using my speed as leverage I launched myself into the air just before I reached him. He tried to swerve out of the way, but it was no use. My teeth sunk into the soft flesh on the back of his neck. I latched on and used my momentum to propel him forward onto his stomach. He tried to roll over to get me off of his back, giving me the entrance point I needed. With freakish accuracy I lunges forward and clamped my teeth around his throat. Blood poured into my mouth as I clamped my mouth deeper around his throat. With one swift movement I jerked my head. Blood splattered my body as I ripped out the mutts throat. He jerked and grabbed his throat attempting to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. After a few seconds of gurgled noise the man went limp, life draining from his eyes as his blood poured onto the ground.

I rushed over to my mate as soon as I knew the threat was over. Crouching down to lick his wounds. I could smell lots of blood but my wolf couldn't find the source. I paced around his body, nudging him with my snout and whining. He opened his eyes a crack and lifted his hand to rest it in my fur as I laid down beside him. I heard the sound of twigs snapping and people yelling my name. As the group came crashing into view I stood up and placed my body over my mate, growling and snapping. Someone walked toward me. _Too close to our mate. _I lunged forward slightly and snapped my teeth. "Nick. Back away" I heard someone say slowly. My eyes were darting between the four people standing in front of me. Slowly someone crouched down and met my eyes. It took a moment before I could understand the words they were speaking. "Emily. Listen to me honey, everything's okay. We're going to help Reese. I need you to go back inside and change back." I felt the pull of an order to move but my fear for my mate kept my feet glued in place. "Emily, go change back. We need your help" she ordered more forcefully.

I grudgingly submitted and felt my body moving toward the house. Once I'd made it in the door I urged my body to change back quickly, but my adrenaline was fading and the process took longer than usual. I laid on the floor breathing hard once I was done. A knock on the door caused me to jerk up quickly, I winced at the sharp pain in my side. Noah came in carrying clothes in his arms. He laid them down beside me and turned his back to me while I slowly dressed. I was bleeding from quite a few gashes on my side and back that I must have gotten from the black wolf, but I didn't care. I needed to get to Reese. As soon as my clothes were on I slipped my feet into my shoes and took off at a run toward the house. I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of the dead mutt laying on the ground. I had mauled him with my claws and there was a large hole where his throat should have been. I felt my legs start to shake as I fell down to the ground and vomited. I felt arms pulling me up and steadying me. I looked up to see Nick and Noah looking at me with worried expressions. They led me toward the house, the smell of Reese's blood making me want to lose my stomach again.

When we got into the house it was a flurry of commotion. Elena was cutting away Reese's shirt, Nick ran to grab my medical kit from Jeremy, Noah left my side to grab some towels. The sight of my mate laying bloodied on the table my medical training kicked in. I rushed to his side to survey his injuries. Most were just superficial and would heal in a few days, but one deep gash on his side was oozing blood. Too much blood. I grabbed the wad of shirt laying beside him and pressed it hard into his wound, causing him to groan in pain. I barked out orders to everyone who rushed to get the supplies I needed while I kept pressure on the cut. "Reese, baby listen to me. I'm right here and I'm going to fix this okay?" I murmured into his ear. Nick barreled back into the room with my medical supplies and started handing me the things I was asking for.

The gash was deep, but as far as I could remember from my anatomy classes I didn't have to worry about any major arteries being damaged. I set to work cleaning and stitching the area; all while reassuring my mate that I was going to make this better. It took 30 stitches to close up the wound properly. I sanitized the area again before Elena and Noah helped me sit him up to wrap a bandage tightly around the wound. Just as I started to wrap the front door burst open, Jeremy and Antonio rushed over to us. Jeremy took in the situation with a calm demeanor, inspecting my work before smiling slightly and reassuring me I'd done everything perfectly. He patted me on the back and frowned as he pulled his hand away. It was covered in blood. He instructed the others to finish up and get Reese upstairs as he led me to a chair in the corner of the room and ordered that I sit while he looked over my injuries. I tried to protest but quickly realized there was no way in hell I was getting out of that room without obeying my Alpha.

I sat down and pulled off my shirt as Jeremy inspected the cuts that peppered my back and side. He grabbed some antiseptic and winced slightly as I hissed at the sting. He decided there were two cuts on my back that would have to have stitches. He apologized that he didn't have anything to numb the area before he set to work patching me up. It took 16 stitches to close everything up properly and I fidgeted In anticipation as he finished. "For you to be so good at doctoring everyone else, I must say you're a terrible patient." Jeremy said as he was finishing up. I gave him a small shrug as I got up and started to the stairs. I ran up to my room and tried to pull a loose shirt over my head, but the stitches in my back made my skin feel too tight and I winced in pain. I heard someone walk through the door and looked up to see Elena walking toward me. She grabbed the shirt from my hands and helped me slowly side it over my head. "Elena, is he going to be okay?" My voice sounded so small. "Yeah honey, I think so. He lost a lot of blood but you saved his life tonight." She said while giving my hand a small squeeze.

"Can I go see him now?" I asked as we started out of the room. She nodded and led me down the hall. We entered the room to find Noah sitting in a chair beside Reese, worry etched all over his features. He stood up when he saw us and walked over to me, enveloping me in a tight hug. I squeezed him back and buried my head into his chest, willing the tears pricking at my eyes not to fall. My mate needs me to be strong right now. I pulled away and looked up at Noah, silently communicating that we needed to talk. He gave a slight nod of understanding. "Oh." I said when I glanced down "I forgot my ring in the guest house. Noah, will you come with me to get it?" I glanced at Reese as I spoke, unsure if I should leave him alone. "You guys go, I'll stay with him until you get back. You should be safe but if anything happens yell for Clay, he's checking the perimeter of the property now" Elena spoke from the corner, sensing my uneasiness about leaving. I nodded and headed toward the door and into the woods with Noah following quietly behind.

Once we got to the guest house I ran into the bathroom and slid the beautiful ring back on my finger. I checked the area to make sure we were safe to speak freely before I told Noah everything that happened. His face paled when I told him that it was the mutt who bit me. The situation was escalating too quickly and I couldn't keep it from him anymore. "Noah, I want you to walk outside and tell me if you recognize his scent." He nodded and I followed him out the door to the spot where the wolf had come out of the woods earlier. He crouched down and inhaled deeply before he jumped up and spun around to face me. He was panicked as he realized the scent was the same as the one he had picked up near Taras apartment. Before I could stop him he took off toward the house, saying he needed to get to her. I yelled after him but he ignored me as he raced ahead of me. His bike shot out of the garage just as I got to the house.


	13. Chapter 13

(Emily POV)

I stood frozen in shock as I watched Noah disappear down the driveway. I heard the door to the garage swing open, I turned around to see a flustered looking Nick. "Emily, what the hell is going on?" He questioned as he noticed Noah was gone. _Shit. I have to tell them something. _"Um, there are some things you guys need to know. Can you grab everyone and have them meet me in Reese's room?" I was walking into the house as I spoke, not pausing for his reply. I ran upstairs into the room Reese was in. I slowly approached his bed and sat down. He was so pale from all of the blood loss, his breathing was a bit shallow but even. His body was covered with bruises and cuts. The emotion from everything that happened came crashing back down on me as I took his hand in mine. I gave in to the waves of feelings and let the tears slip down my face. A small sob wracked my body, followed by another, then another. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Elena had come over from her perch by the window. She was just about to say something when Nick came in with Jeremy, Antonio, and Clay.

"Emily I want you to tell me what happened tonight and where Noah went. Now" Jeremy ordered calmly. I knew there was no more hiding behind my secrets. My body shook violently with sobs as I told them everything I could, but keeping true to my word I didn't tell them about the baby. I simply explained that Noah had picked up the same scent at his girlfriend's house and he rushed off to go check on her. Jeremy exchanged a silent look with Clay who handed me a pen and paper for me to write down the address. I jotted it down and handed the paper back to him before he left. Jeremy wasn't happy with me for neglecting to tell him that I knew the mutt was nearby. He and Elena left to make some calls, trying to get more info on the mystery mutt. Antonio stood up and tugged Nick our the door to get the body in the woods cleaned up.

Once I was alone again, the gravity of the situation overwhelmed me. _I killed someone. _It was all I could repeat over and over again as I felt my insides twist up with nausea. I ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. I grimaced when I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I still looked like myself, but I didn't recognize the girl looking back at me. I'd taken a life. I was a killer.

I walked back over to the bed to watch over my mate. My body ached and all I wanted was to curl up in bed and chalk this up to a bad dream, but it wasn't a dream and my wolf was too restless to allow me to sleep. So I sat quietly beside my love, scanning the doors and windows for any sign of intrusion or danger until the sun was fully up in the sky.

(Reese POV)

I woke up with a pounding headache. I tried to move my arms to sit up but every inch of my body felt like it was on fire. _What the hell did I drink last night? _I thought as a fresh wave of pain erupted in my head. I cracked my eye open to see sunlight streaming in the windows. Another shot of pain sounded in my skull before the memories of last night came rushing back. _Emily. She said yes. God she looked like a goddess in the candlelight. I made love to her, then the howls woke us up. I tried to get her to stay put so I could keep her safe. Her wolf jumped out of the window, she was fighting another wolf. She ran into the woods. _My eyes flew open as the memory rushed into my mind. Ignoring the pain I pushed myself halfway up before I felt hands pushing me back down. "Baby calm down. It's okay, you're okay. I'm right here." Emily said as she pinned my shoulders to the bed. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but when I glanced over at her I stopped in my tracks. _Somethings wrong with her. _My wolf growled at the sight of our mate. She looked exhausted. Her usually tanned skin was pale and clammy. Her eyes were red and puffy, tear stains littered her cheeks. Her hand slid into mine, it was trembling. "What happened? Are you o-" she cut me off with a light kiss. "I will be. How are you feeling? I'm so glad that you're awake." she tried to smile a reassuring smile as she gave my hand a squeeze. "What happened to the mutt I was fighting? I had the upper hand until the bastard pulled out a knife and tried to gut me." Her face went solid white and I jumped up when she ran to the bathroom to puke. I ignored the pain in my side as I made my way to her.

She was sitting on the floor next to the toilet with her knees pulled in tight to her chest. Hot tears poured down her face and sobs wracked her body. "Baby, please look at me." I coaxed as I made my way onto the floor beside her. "Em look at me. What happened? Did he hurt you?" I could feel my anger rising at the thought of anyone laying a hand on my mate. How could I not have been there to protect her? I growled at the thought. Emily looked up, surprised at the sound. "He, he- no he didn't hurt me. Reese I- I" she couldn't finish before sobs took over her tiny body again. "I did something terrible" she squeaked as she buried her face into her knees, no longer willing to look me in the eyes. _Help her _my wolf grumbled at me. "Love what did you do?" I asked softly "Emily baby please, I'm your mate. If you can tell anyone it's me. You know I won't think any less of you." She sniffled as she looked up at me, she looked so hurt and broken I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and take the pain away. "He was going to kill you Reese. I had to do something, I don't know why but I just couldn't stop. I- I killed him. I ripped his throat out." She twirled around as her body wretched with sickness again.

I stood up and pulled her off the floor, leading her by the hand down the hall and into her room. I kept a tight hold on her as I plopped down onto the bed and pulled her down with me. She tried to protest but I shushed her as I pulled her over and tucked her body in beside mine. I felt her take a few deep breaths as her tears began to slow. My heart was breaking for her, we've all killed. It's an unfortunate part of the world we live in, but it never makes it any easier. Especially the first time it happens. "You saved my life" I whispered into her hair "I would be dead right now if you wouldn't have done what you did. This doesn't change you as a person love. You are still good and kind, with a beautiful heart. I wish that this world wasn't so violent, and I've tried to keep this side of it from you as much as I could. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you did the right thing. I love you sweetheart, always will no matter what. It's going to take some time to get over this, but you won't be doing it alone. You have me and the entire pack here to help you. We've all been through this exact same feeling that you're having right now. The fact that you're mourning the death of a mutt who intended to kill you simply speaks to the beauty in your heart." I traced small circles on her back under her shirt. My fingers brushed against something hard on her back, she winced a little before settling back down onto my chest.

I leaned up on my elbows and pulled up the back of her shirt. Rage filled my senses as I took in the two large lines of stitches running down her back. "Did the wolf you chased into the woods do this?" She nodded and pulled me back down to snuggle into my chest. "It was _him._" She whispered. I gripped the sheets as realization washed over me. _Fucking hell, he came for her. He came for her and I let her face him alone. He hurt her again._ "Don't worry, he'll get what's coming to him Reese. Now it'll be easier to pick him out in a crowd. I left him with a nasty scar." She rubbed her head into my neck and took another deep breath. "So, you still want to marry me? I mean even after I- I did what I did?" She looked up at me through her lashes and bit her lip. I groaned and pulled her even closer "Baby, you're fucking course I still want to marry you. Now- you and I need some rest. I'm sure everyone is on high alert downstairs, if someone's stupid enough to come back they won't make it very far." I reassured her as I rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Sleep love, everything's going to be okay."

(Emily POV)

I fell into a restless sleep, images of the mutt laying mauled on the ground haunted my dreams. I woke to someone lightly shaking me. "Emily" another shake. I groaned and opened one eye, it was darker now than it was when I fell asleep, I glanced at the clock and it read 6:30am. _Oh my gosh. How long was I asleep? _I blinked and tried to focus my still heavy eyes. Noah was standing beside my bed. He was wearing the same clothes I'd seen him in the night he took off to check on Tara. "Noah hey, what's going on? Is everything okay?" I asked groggily, trying to sit up. He surprised me by grabbing me and pulling me into a hug. "Thank you" he whispered into my ear "you kept your word. I was so scared when Clayton showed up at Taras apartment. I thought he was going to break the door down he was knocking so hard. I was so sure you'd told them and they'd come to drag me back home, but you didn't tell them about the baby. I literally can't ever thank you enough for what you've done to help me Em." I hugged my little brother back. Even if I don't agree with him keeping a secret this big, I love him too much to betray his trust. "You know my word is my bond. I didn't say anything more than what I had to, but Noah we aren't going to be able to keep this secret forever. What are you going to do once the baby is born? Are you going to leave her and live with her? What will your excuse be then? Eventually they're going to find out. Maybe Reese can help us figure-" he cut me off with a shake of his head. "No Emily. Not yet, I love Reese, he's my brother and I trust him with my life. He's an amazing person and I hate that I've put you in the position to keep anything from him, but I need more time to figure this out okay? Can you please give me that? Just a little longer, at least a few more weeks until I know if it's even going to be a boy." His eyes were pleading with me as he spoke.

"Okay, a few more weeks then. But I have some conditions." He nodded his head for me to continue. "One you can't just go running off rouge like that, you could've gotten yourself killed Noah. Do you understand that? You're a talented fighter, but it isn't your best skill set. You have to think before you go running off into danger or you may not make it to the day your baby is born." He looked at the ground and gave a small nod of agreement."Two you and I are going to train together, every day. I understand the need to protect your mate, so I want to help you be the best you can be incase the day ever comes that you're put in the position to do it. And three, I'm going to start stopping by to check on Tara a few times a week on the days you aren't able to. She is your mate and she's pregnant with your child, that means she is under my protection just like I would protect you if I felt you were in danger." He nodded again in agreement as I took his hand in mine and gave it a small squeeze. "We're going to get through this Noah. I promise you everything will be okay." And I meant what I said to him. I will defend and protect my brother and his child at all costs. I will kill the bastard who dared threaten my pack. If it's the last thing I do, I'll kill him.


End file.
